The Crystal Ball Week 12

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on November 22, 2006.


Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! Yes, we have an extremely short week this week due to the impending grub fest of a holiday. So one and all please gather with friends and family this week and give some thanks. I figured this week I would give a few thanks for some things I like in the NFL.

I will give some thanks for the first two game winning streak of the season for the Steelers. Excellent comeback win, although if you ask me it should have never been that close. I mean, for Pete’s sake, we are talking about the Browns here! Was this game a microcosm for the season? A horrendous first half followed thrilling second half where they pull out the win at the last second. Considering we are two games into the second half and 2-0, I sure hope it is a microcosm for the season. They are still 4 games behind Baltimore, but they are looking a bit better with this miniature winning streak. I am absolutely thrilled about that. They did have great second half composure, despite three freaky interceptions in the first half. Tell me how many times that has happened in a game, where three times receivers tip the ball right to defenders. Weird. Now, that first one Ben totally honked and threw it way too high, but still. And even better, the defense only gave up 6 points. It did not help that special teams and offense gave up 14, but for once luckily it did not hurt. Slowly but surely they are climbing back. That flicker of hope just got that much brighter.

The 72 Dolphins will give some thanks and tip a glass of champagne to the Cowboys for doing their part in helping make sure they remain the only undefeated team in NFL history for one more year. The Cowboys played tough in Texas Stadium and defeated the Indianapolis Colts, ending their potential bid at the elusive undefeated season. I think the Colts are disappointed, but I do not think this will mar their season. You listen to them, their goal is never to go undefeated; it is to get some championship hardware. Keep your eyes on the prize boys, and trust me the prize is not an annual champagne toast.

Also, I will give some thanks to NBC, for finally righting their Thursday night lineup. Granted, this is not football related per se, but I think the mojo they created from their fantastic Sunday Night game has spread to other areas of the network. Thursday night used to be the anchor of their week, and if you look back through the years, the comedies and dramas that have spent time on this spot of their schedule looks like a TV hall of fame. But it had fallen into disrepair over the last few seasons and was looking to be in danger of extinction. Now, they have a killer lineup again, starting at 8 with My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock in one night, followed by the venerable ER to cap the evening. I cannot remember the last time I liked and wanted to watch every show on one network in the same evening. Fantastic fun ahead. Looks like I may need to watch TV regularly two days a week now.

And speaking of NBC, I am thankful for the flex schedule. So far it has been excellent. Now, I know next week will end up not being as good, but who could predict what happened to McNabb. If the Eagles show their heart, it can still be a good game, and continue making this the game to watch each week.

I am thankful for the NFL for finally finding a way to allow coaches who want to wear suits during the game to dress in this distinctive way. This is a fantastic move. Nothing conveys authority and control like the suited coach. They look confident, in charge, and ready to lead. It obviously helps, look at San Francisco; they are now 5-5 and a game out of the division lead. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? They might even go on a run now. And Jacksonville is now 6-4 and has a good edge on the ever tightening AFC wild card race. Both teams with suited coaches won this weekend, making the suit revival a strong 2-0 thus far. Plus, it looks cool for the football field, and as I said last week, really spurs images from the past. Landry, Lombardi, Stram and many others always wore a suit on the sidelines, giving no doubt as to who was in charge of their respective ships. I have said it before, adding that kind of history and imagery to your team can only help.

I am thankful that in one game, we can have two future hall of fame quarterbacks playing that are both ruggedly handsome and the NFL world would not turn without either of them. Why did it take so long for Favre and Brady to share the same field! Ok, I am being a little sarcastic here.

I am thankful that you are still reading despite this cheesy premise for a football column.

I also am thankful for DirecTV. Thanks to them, I can see Pittsburgh play every week. I was able to see every snap of every game last year on their run to the Super Bowl, and every snap thus far this year on their run to the toilet bowl. Plus, I can watch any other game that strikes my fancy, and it is wonderful.

I am thankful for the feel good stories of unheralded players making it big. Tony Romo, Frank Gore and Marques Colston are all unheralded players that are making their impact on the NFL, in very big ways. Every year you always hear about big name college players coming into the NFL and how they will change the face of the game, or lead their team to victory or some other ridiculous prediction for them. Or you hear ad nausea about some overpaid, over hyped petulant star that spends more time running their mouth than making something happen on the field. It is refreshing, and inspiring, to see these fellows come up and take over, showing the world that talent does not have to come from a football factory school.

Now, a few things I am not thankful for, since there is always a dark side to the light.

I am not thankful for Microsoft word spell check. Also not exactly football related, but I do use it to write. The spell check and grammar check have let me down. I went to look at last week’s column, just for review, and found at least two errors. This is after a thorough scrubbing by the supposed “tools” on this product. Hey, how about helping a guy out? I found other errors too, but those were just my own bad grammar, bad spelling and unclear writing. The only thing that will fix that is to write more often. And yes, I am working on it, thank you for reminding me yet again.

I am not thankful that coaches can only wear the suit twice a season. What kind of silly rule is that? Yes, I know you want the coaches to model the latest NFL apparel available for sale at their team’s website and NFLshop.com, but come on. Suited coaches last weekend were 2-0, they looked professional, their teams performed well, ok that is questionable for some of the Jags receivers, and they even kept Jack Del Rio relatively calm on the sidelines. Jack usually is jumping around and bouncing up and down the sidelines, but this week, he was calm, cool and collected. Compared to Coughlin on the other sideline, Jack looked far more in charge of his team than Tom did. Come on NFL, let them wear it all season if they so choose.

I am not thankful for another appearance by OJ. I feel pretty confident in saying the following: OJ, we know you did it, we know you got away with it. No innocent person, or one in their right mind, would ever write a book about how they would hypothetically murder their ex wife and the mother of their children. Now do us all a favor and take a long walk off of a short pier, or at least go back to the rock you climbed out from under. It is hard to believe this man was once a star in the NFL and a beloved public figure.

I am not thankful for the unprofessional behavior of some of the players in the NFL. The Haynesworth situation in Tennessee was really bad. And I have noticed in many games a lot of really dirty, and blatant, acts on the field. Cleveland defensive end Simon Fraser repeatedly pounding Ben Roethlisberger into the ground on an interception return, obviously trying to injure the QB, was particularly cringe worthy. But I saw another one this weekend that made me shout at the television. I was watching the Sunday night game between San Diego and Denver, and Charger defensive end Igor Olshansky punched Bronco center Tom Nalen right in the back of the head. What are you thinking? Your team is trying to hold on for a victory, and you pull a bone head move like that. You almost cost your team the game, get thrown out, will definitely get a fine and possibly brought on the ire of your teammates, who wonder if they can trust you to keep your head about yourself in a tighter situation. Plus, and more importantly, what kind of professional can you call yourself when you react to something happening to you like a petulant child? And to top it off, you could get suspended by the league, thus hurting your team that much more since you are still missing 3 defensive starters, with one not due back for two weeks and one out for the season.

I am not thankful for the Chargers new quarterback. Phillip Rivers acts like such a twit with his yelling and screaming nonsense. It is not angry or malicious, just exuberance in trying to keep his team pumped. Now normally, I would love that kind of enthusiasm, but from him, somehow it just seems so forced and fake. It feels like the nerdy guy that tries to pal around with the jocks, but without going through the punishing practices or training they do, but still wanting to be part of their clique so he makes up for it with enthusiasm. Of course, this is just my impression, and I may be way off on it, but hey, it is how it comes across to me. Plus, and this needs to be said, it would be easy for anyone to be a good QB with all the weapons around him. People have been busting Ben Roethlisberger since he took over the starting job in Pittsburgh by saying it is not that he is that good, but that he has benefited from coming into a great situation. And they have gone on to say that if it were another quarterback in Ben’s situation, they would have thrived as well while Ben would have stumbled if he had been in a different situation, a team with less talent, less weapons or poor coaches and staff. Well, the situation with personnel and playmakers is similar between the Chargers and Steelers and in some cases the Chargers better than Pittsburgh, but no one says these things about Rivers. They say, oh, he is so great, and GM A.J. Smith made the right move by initially acquiring and now deciding to go with Rivers over Brees. No, it is never that Rivers is lucky, or in a great situation, it is because he is the best quarterback to come along since Tom Brady. Hey, until he does something of consequence, I will call him lucky. It is easy to be a great passer when your running game can bail you out of bad games. It is even easier when you have 4-5 uber talented receivers/tight ends/running backs on your roster that can catch almost any pass thrown in their general direction. How easy is it when the pressure is truly on? Yes, he has done very well thus far, but he has yet to be truly tested.

And on that note, I am not thankful for the Chargers as a team or an organization. I find them riddled with high talent, low quality of character personnel, and I want nothing more than to see them fall flat on their faces in the playoffs yet again. They had one quality of character guy, and they unceremoniously ran him out of town, which is another reason I do not like them. Luckily for him and New Orleans, he leads the Saints offense now. All of the players on the team drive me to distraction, from Olshansky, Tomlinson calling himself LT without any punishment or payback from the football gods or anyone else, even though that is Lawrence Taylor’s nickname, Shawne Merriman, his massive ego, his steroid use and denials of said use, which have been commented on here previously to Rivers and his grating presence. I have had an official assful of San Diego. This team used to be one I liked, but in the last few years they have quickly degraded to one in which I cannot stand anyone, from the coach on down. I wish them nothing but bad luck from here on out. Luckily, Shottenheimer is their coach, so I feel confident they will screw things up in the playoffs.

I am not thankful for Donovan McNabb having another season ending injury. He was doing very well this season, regaining the form that took the Eagles to 4 straight NFC championship games and 1 Super Bowl berth. But then, right when you least expect it, he blows out an ACL and is done. I know he has a long road to recovery ahead for him, and here is hoping he traverses it successfully.

Ok, so last week I did not get exactly what I wanted. I was hoping for a double digit win week, and that just did not happen.

Last Week: 9-7
Season to Date: 90-70

Not too bad, but not good either. At least it was not a losing record. Well, this week, not only do I have Sunday and Monday for games, but Thursday as well. Yes, it is time for the tasty traditional Thanksgiving Day football games. This year we have three, count 'em three, games on tap. The third is the first ever game broadcast on the NFL Network. I watched their coverage of NFL Europe games in the spring, and here is hoping they did some work to improve their broadcasts since then. I do not want to deride them, since it is hard to get things up and running perfectly from the start, but of all the things they could upgrade, I hope they focused on their color commentators. Well, its Thanksgiving, why look upon these things badly? I am just thankful for three games on turkey day, or in honor of new hall of famer John Madden, turducken day.


Thanksgiving Games

Miami at Detroit

I think we are seeing the late season push by the Dolphins. Miami needs to watch out, though. They are in danger of becoming relevant in the race for the AFC East crown. With New England at 7-3 and the Jets not far behind, Miami could theoretically sneak up on both of them, if they are not careful. If they get too close, I bet they will start choking again. Detroit, wow, how bad are they? You cannot even beat the Cardinals, now that is embarrassing. I cannot in good conscious take them to win. Even though the Lions on Thanksgiving Day is an American staple.

Miami over Detroit


Tampa Bay at Dallas

How about those Cowboys! An excellent win over the Colts at home, Romo led the Boys on several scoring drives while behind and put Dallas in position to win. I was impressed by them, and Romo in particular. I only have two questions at this point. One, will he come back down to earth, and two, why did they not start him sooner? Tampa Bay, well, it has been a long season, and is only getting longer.

Dallas over Tampa Bay


Denver at Kansas City

The NFL Network’s first game is a doozy, and a lot tougher to pick than any of the other games on turkey day. Currently in this rivalry, the home team has prevailed in last 8 meetings, with the Broncos beating KC earlier this season in Denver 9-6. What is obvious is that Jake Plummer needs to step up his play, and in a huge way, for the Broncos to even repeat how far they went last year, let alone go further. The mental errors he made at the end of the San Diego game were unacceptable, and took away the slim chance they had at tying up the game. It did not help him that his vaunted defense got torched last week, either. But I think they had a bad game, and can reassert themselves rather quickly. It would help, though, if they can get the KC offense off the field and limit third down conversions, something they had trouble doing against the Chargers. Kansas City is glad to have Trent Green back under center, and is hoping that after a week in action, he can start regaining form. Although, I do not feel too good about their chances this week after they had to work hard to pull one out at home against Oakland, especially since they are playing on a short week. Also, the Chiefs record versus the AFC this season is a depressing 1-4, with that one win coming last week against Oakland. I guess it is time to close my eyes, cross my fingers, throw the dart and see where it lands.

Denver over Kansas City


The Rest of the Best

Arizona at Minnesota

Wow, Arizona has won two games this season. Is everyone glad they made them their sleeper pick this year? I think it is a rite of fall when everyone tabs the Cardinals as the sleeper, and then a rite of winter that they fail to live up to those ridiculous predictions. There may very well come a day when the Cardinals are good, maybe even consistently good. It did, to some degree, happen for the Bengals. So I suppose there is hope. Minnesota, however, is reeling big time. After such a strong start, they have pretty much fallen apart. I did not expect much from them this year, so they have finally settled down to my expectations. But I would like to see Brad Childress succeed there, if for no other reason than he looks like a high school science teacher. I think the Cardinals will provide a nice salve for them.

Minnesota over Arizona


Carolina at Washington

Washington is, well, a mess. I hate to say it, because I am a Gibbs fan, but this team is sinking fast. Perhaps just throwing around money is not the way to win, Dan. I bet Randle El is wishing for the umpteenth time he had not chased the dollar right about now. Carolina is getting back to their winning ways. Although, what was with Steve Smith blowing chunks on the sideline last week. He must have been tattooed pretty hard for him to lose his lunch. I bet he’s fine by this weekend.

Carolina over Washington


Cincinnati at Cleveland

Now here is one I have no idea what to do with. I have seen how tough Cleveland can play, and how opportunistic their defense really can be. They did tire at the end of the game and gave up a lot of plays, but they smack you in the mouth. Cincinnati has been putting up some big numbers and shredded the Saints last week through the air. I gotta go with Cincinnati. That way if they lose, I will be happy with the loss since, of course, it will help Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati over Cleveland


Houston at N.Y. Jets

Houston cannot do anything right. They had that game against the Bills last week, they had it. And they let J.P. Losman score a last second touchdown on them. They should be embarrassed. You are not on your way to respectability if you give away games at home like that. The Jets, however, are on their way. Yes, they lost to Da Bears, but they played them tough, and held them to 10 points. Pennington needs to play better to give them a chance to win, especially if their defense is going to keep them in the game.

N.Y. Jets over Houston


Jacksonville at Buffalo

Buffalo performed nicely last week, calmly marching down the field to grab the winning touchdown as time was expiring in Houston. Excellent play by the offense on that drive and good calls by the coaches made it possible. Now, if you follow a logical path, since Buffalo beat Houston, and Houston beat Jacksonville twice, then Buffalo should annihilate the Jags. But somehow, I just do not see that happening. Even with the game being played in Buffalo, I still do not see it happening. Of course, now that I said that out loud, the crappy version of the Jaguars will show up and the final will be like 42-7 Bills. Stupid football.

Jacksonville over Buffalo


New Orleans at Atlanta

Here is a tough one, and a potentially good match up. The Falcons are reeling, and their season is starting to slip away. Plus, they have some controversy surrounding the team after Jim Mora Sr. said on a radio show that Vick is a coach killer. That cannot make life easy for his son in the locker room. The Saints defense seems also to be finally coming down to earth, and that does not bode well for them or for a late season push to win the division. What also does not bode well for a playoff push is that they have lost three of their last four games. They need to win to keep pace with Carolina, who now leads the NFC South. I see this being a tight one, and probably high scoring as well.

New Orleans over Atlanta


Pittsburgh at Baltimore

Pittsburgh is on their first winning streak of the season and now have to go to Baltimore for a must win division game. If they pull this one out, then they make the race for the AFC North that much tighter. If not, well, their season is shot and Baltimore can pretty much walk away with the title and a playoff spot. Just call me Don Quixote.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore


San Francisco at St. Louis

I am not sure what to make of this game. St. Louis has lost 5 in a row, and San Francisco is feeling their oats after beating Seattle and bringing themselves within a game of the division lead. Yes, they beat the Seahawks without Hasselbeck, but they did it on the ground, amassing 262 yards of rushing. The Rams started off strong, but have stumbled since, and had atrocious pass protection last week in Carolina allowing Bulger to get sacked seven times. San Francisco has a terrible record away from home, and I see that playing a part in this game. And something tells me the Rams will throw everything out there to avoid letting the 49ers pull away from them in the division.

St. Louis over San Francisco


Oakland at San Diego

Since Oakland can barely find the field, and since San Diego has been punishing just about everyone with their high scoring offense as of late, this one is pretty much a no brainer. Yes, strange things happen on any given Sunday, but really, like anyone but the diehards of Raider Nation question what the outcome will be. So, in lieu of any real information on this lopsided stinker, how about a joke.

Two men walk into a bar, the third one ducked.

San Diego over Oakland


Chicago at New England

Now here we go with a good game. Da Bears continue their East Coast swing with a visit to Foxboro, after another thrilling win in the Meadowlands. Seriously, who made up the schedules and thought Chicago on the road three straight weeks in November on the East Coast was a good idea? Sometimes I wonder about the NFL. Da Bears are stepping up when it’s needed most, and their defense is getting more stifling. New England had a good win last week, flexing their muscle against a lesser Green Bay team. However, their home record is atrocious and this week they will be breaking in a new field. I do not like their chances, and I do like Da Bears.

Chicago over New England


N.Y. Giants at Tennessee

The Giants are reeling right now, trying to hold on while their numerous injured starters get healthy. The loss of these players was evident on Monday night, when they had no effective pass rush and could not get Jacksonville’s offense off the field. They should consider themselves lucky that the score was only 26-10, since it could have been much worse. Tennessee had a great game against Philadelphia, and was well on their way to winning before McNabb went out of the game. That is heartening to them, and I think they will give the Giants a tough game. New York needs keeps pace with Dallas in the NFC East. But I do not see them playing with enough drive right now, especially with all of the injuries they are trying to overcome. Plus, it does not help that Manning seems to be reverting to rookie year form. Of course, burning Pacman Jones a few times for touchdowns could give him some confidence. But I just do not trust the Giants enough to take them on the road.

Tennessee over N.Y. Giants


Philadelphia at Indianapolis

When NBC tabbed this game for their flex schedule, it looked like a tasty match up. The potentially undefeated Colts versus the resurgent and high flying Eagles. Now, the Colts have their first loss of the season courtesy of Dallas, and the Eagles are grounded thanks to McNabb suffering a season ending ACL tear in his right knee. I am sure Michaels and Madden will make something of this, but they will be the only ones. Who knows, perhaps Jeff Garcia will help make a game of it for the Birds and try to salvage the season. Or perhaps the highlight will be when Madden rolls out the turducken.

Indianapolis over Philadelphia


Green Bay at Seattle

I knew that Brett would play this week, I just knew it. Even before I found out what was wrong, I said they probably just kept him out to give Rodgers some playing time. Once information was released out of Green Bay I was proven right. Brett could have gone back into the game, but they kept him out since it was not a close one. It is a shame, however, that Rodgers broke his foot. That will hurt the team, and I bet they pick up someone soon off of waivers to give them another option at QB. I know last week I wanted to pick Green Bay really bad over New England, and wow, was I glad I resisted that temptation. Seattle, however, I cannot explain. No, Hasselbeck did not play, but Wallace had been doing fairly well in relief, so I cannot figure out how he, and the team, managed to fall so flat against the 49ers. Perhaps they will get their mojo back this week in the comforts of Qwest Field. They need to, since San Francisco is nipping at their heels in the division.

Seattle over Green Bay