The Crystal Ball Week 11

Sometimes it hurts not having DirecTV Sunday Ticket. Last week the only game choice I had at 4pm was the Cowboys at Giants with Joe Buck. That’s just mean NFL schedule makers.

Opening Kickoff

Is it better to be good or to be lucky? David Garrard and the Jaguars have a very distinct opinion on the subject.

The Way It Was

Of all teams that sport throw back uniforms, I think Atlanta should go to theirs permanently. They look much better than their current threads

Favre sucks, the Viking defense sucks, and obviously the only thing this team takes pride in, or cares about, is getting Brad Childress fired.

I already miss Wade Phillips.

What a shameful display by the Titans. The Moss curse continues.

The officials made a very bad call on the Bungles onside kick. Pierre Garcon had possession and was down on the field, yet the officials awarded the ball to the Bungles. If Indianapolis had lost that game due to such a bad call, we would still be hearing about it this week.

Was anyone really surprised to see TO dogging it at the end of the game? No wonder he’s so entertaining, he’s such a clown. When he’s getting his looks and stats he’s the best teammate ever, but as soon as someone else takes the spotlight he stops caring and starts pouting.

What a shameful display by the Titans. The Moss curse continues.

Did the clock just strike midnight for Kansas City?

Now, where the deuce has this Bronco team been all season? I picked them so many times before and they screwed me. Now I pick against them, suddenly they’re the 99 Rams.

Good for you Buffalo! I knew you could do it!

The Jets and Browns took their dear old sweet time. They know you only get one quarter of overtime right? They didn’t get overtime advice from McNabb did they?

I should have seen it coming. Dallas actually tries for a new coach, the Giants take them too lightly, just the perfect formula for an upset. I should have waited two weeks once the excitement wore off and Dallas reverted to normal status of sucking big time.

Is it just me, or is Jason Garrett starting to look like a young Jerry Jones? Do you think Jerry put it in Garrett’s contract to get surgery to look more like Jones, so he could better imagine himself actually coaching the team? I’m beginning to wonder.

What was with the bizarre lighting failure at New Meadowlands stadium? I feel bad for the Giants. It must suck when you're billion dollar stadium breaks down right in the middle of a nationally broadcast NFL game.

Speaking of bizarre failures, how does a replay system become inoperable during the first usage of a game? Come on NFL, no one could just look at the broadcast replays?

Aaaaaannnnnnd, I’m done with the Cardinals.

On two consecutive possessions Derek Anderson turned the ball over and basically gave points to Seattle. Whisenhunt, this will never fly, you gotta play someone else. Go find Jeff Garcia, he can't be worse. Call Testaverde, Call Bledsoe, call Moon just call any number but Anderson.

The Cardinals, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks know someone has to win the division, right?

The Steel Pit

Steelers 26 – Patriots 39

Ok, let’s just get it all out of our systems now. That was just an absolutely shameful performance by the entire team and by far the worst of the season and worst I have seen in a long time. The offense has reverted to last year’s atrocity, where everyone basically slacks off because they figure Big Douche will fix it if it's broken, instead of stepping up and doing more. And I know the offensive line has problems, But that is no excuse. This is the same defense that was manhandled the previous week by a no name Cleveland team and our offense could not sneeze successfully against it.

Special teams were less than special, with Jeff Reed putting the last nail in his coffin with an inexplicable miss from 26 yards. The kickoff coverage team gave the Patriots good field position all night and the kick return team did nothing of note.

As for the defense, they should hang their heads in abject shame. They let the patriot offense dictate the entire flow of the game. Constantly the Patriots converted first down after first down, no matter the down or distance. Tom Brady bent that defense over and made it his bitch. And you know the worst part? No one did anything about it. They took it. I did not see one player out there get fired up, get angry, fight back, try anything. They ran around like lost kids trying to catch up to the big boys and never could.

Not one player on either side of the ball got angry, stepped up and said enough. Not one player. Not one guy got angry about Hines Ward getting hurt. No one picked up the torch to lead which was embarrassing and doubly so since this was the second prime time game against a quality opponent that humiliated us.

And the coaches most of all should be held responsible. The team looked unprepared, and not ready for what was thrown their way. Don’t give me this short week nonsense either. They had plenty of time to know what New England’s tendencies could be and seemed surprised with every wrinkle New England threw their way. The team seemed lethargic, uninterested and unengaged.

It would seem that the Patriots are in the Steelers heads. Just their mere presence seems to change how the team behaves. Perhaps it does, and maybe they are in the Steelers heads. But if that’s true, then the coaches had best find a way to reverse that and fast.

Just to raise the level of bizarre, Jeff Reed decided after the game to go on a rant blaming the field, the fans and the media for his subpar season. That apparently was the final straw for the team, as they proceeded to cut Reed and sign Shaun Suisham off his couch.

I have no idea if this will do any good. Part of me feels it’s a panic move that bad teams make. Singling out Reed is as dumb as singling out William Gay. Yeah those two played bad, but so did every other player on the field. I believe that a few missed kicks are not what lost Reed his job, but a culmination of factors which probably include some behind the scenes actions, and other public issues, that we have not heard.

But perhaps a shakeup is what the team needs right now, and this is definitely a shake up. If they lose this week, then perhaps the shake ups need to continue with secondary and offensive line auditions on Tuesday. Ok, with that out of our systems, let’s just move on.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

I think the NFL might actually be targeting the Steelers for fines. I would really like to find the justification for LaMarr Woodley getting fined for roughing Tom Brady. No one on the Steelers defense touched Brady all night!

You can bust Chad Ochocinco for his on field play all you want, but the man can make a great commercial. Hey Peyton, it’s time to step it up.

The new regime of Jason Garrett is much stricter than Wade Phillips, with the team fining players for minor infractions. Marion Barber was fined for wearing jeans instead of the required dress code. Good job Jason that'll turn things around.

Everyone has been ripping apart Albert Haynesworth for laying down on the job while Michael Vick scrambled around and proceeded to score yet another Eagle touchdown, but I say lay off. Albert plays hard, and it must be exhausting carrying around such a ridiculous contract all the time. He cannot be as good as everyone expects, he’s weighed down by undeserved cash.

Look, I’ve mentioned many times before it can be upsetting to watch your team lose, especially at home. But tackling a little kid because he’s wearing the opposing team’s jersey? Come on Cleveland, pull yourselves together. You’re Browns fans, not Raider fans.

Steeler receiver Hines Ward left last week’s game due to a concussion suffered from a helmet to helmet hit inflicted when he was a defenseless receiver. Yet the NFL felt no need to fine the offending Patriot for such a hit. So much for consistency in punishment for illegal hits. Hey Goodell, each week you lose credibility with fans and it will haunt you in the near future.

On the CBS pregame show last week, Charley Casserly spoke of Heir Goodell’s plan to put together a safety committee composed of former players and coaches to find ways to increase on field player safety. To me this will be nothing but a dog and pony show unless the first suggestions by the committee are no 18 game schedule and mandatory use by every player of a concussion model helmet. Although I did find it interesting that one of the potential safety recommendations may be padding on the helmet exterior. Finally a return of the Pro Cap!

Upon Further Review

Before the Redskins showdown with Philadelphia, Washington announced a new 5 year, $78 million contract for quarterback Donovan McNabb. That this was announced hours before the game against his old team, and two weeks after McNabb and the Shanahan clan had a rather public falling out regarding his conditioning and preparation compared to Rex Grossman made the timing of the deal curious.

Take into account that McNabb went out and was thoroughly outplayed by Michael Vick, who has entrenched himself in McNabb’s old job, then the announcement and deal seem quite foolish. But was this a good idea? Did this deal do anything other than create press and show that despite all the big offseason front office changes nothing has really changed in Redskin land? I say no.

Now, it would seem that this is the team’s way of showing McNabb that they do value his service and leadership and want him to be a valuable part of the team going forward as it works to rebuild itself. But to be honest, it is nothing more than window dressing.

By committing that much monetary recourses to just one player is foolish, especially one who is approaching the latter years of his career. Who knows if McNabb will be a viable quarterback in five years? Yes quarterbacks are playing much better later into their careers, but everyone’s shelf life is different.

This team has holes on both sides of the ball, major holes that will require a significant upgrade in personnel. Their running back platoon is aged and needs upgraded, their receivers are subpar for a threatening passing game and their offensive line is one of the worst in the league, unable to create running lanes or pass protection reliably.

Their defensive line is already hamstrung by the laziest $100 million dollar man the world has ever known, and its upgrade along with the linebacking core is defensive priorities.

So Daniel Snyder looking to placate a disgruntled quarterback, who should have never been disgruntled in the first place if not for the inept actions of his coach, has wasted salary cap space that he will need if he ever wants to seriously turn the team around.

But at least you could say, well their quarterback is in place so they can focus on other areas. Well, not really. The contract is structured so that the $40 million in supposed guarantees really only breaks down to $3.5 million right now. And if at the end of this season the Redskins do not feel it worthwhile to continue moving forward with McNabb as their quarterback, they can cut him with no monetary impact whatsoever.

Now, they have a quarterback who they’ve already publicly humiliated and insulted and superficially placated with money who has to essentially audition for his job if he ever wants to see that money. And the audition must be done with sub par talent around him. Seems like a setup for failure to me.

And other players see this too, and I’m sure there is talk in that locker room that if they can do this to McNabb, their headlining star, who’s to say anyone else will get treated with respect.

So after the entire buzz from the beginning of the season that things will change in Washington with a new regime and new leadership we see nothing but the same old nonsense. Ridiculous spending and dysfunctional relationships that are played out in the media by people in positions of power who are ruled by their egos and press releases while real problems go ignored and unfixed. This truly is the team of Washington D.C.

He Said He Said

"We don't care how long your hair is, you can't do anything to our quarterback. You're not going to rough our quarterback up.'' – Patriots guard Logan Mankins

I find this an interesting dig on Polamalu for two reasons. One, Mankins didn’t feel the need to be around to protect “his” quarterback until two weeks ago. And two, I don’t think he should be making fun of anyone’s hair considering that “his” quarterback looks like Farrah Fawcett.

"We got our butts whupped today, and everybody needs to realize that." - Steelers captain and linebacker James Farrior

We do.

"Clean pants the whole game for me." – Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton

He’s a big kid now.

"I just want to fit within the offense and help this team win. If me being a decoy and moving the ball and helping the team win is what I need to do, that's what I need to do.” – Titans wide receiver Randy Moss

That attitude will last exactly two more weeks.

"The pregame altercation got us going. It had us ready. We came back into the locker room pumped. We were like pit bulls, ready to get out of the cage." - Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson speaking of the pregame dust up between Philadelphia and Washington

Ummm, DeSean, considering your quarterback’s history you might want to find a better choice of words to describe such things.

Idiot of the week

The exalted winners this week are co-winners for different reasons, Tom Brady and the Patriot offense.

Tom wins because of his ridiculous screaming and histrionics on the sideline directed at his offense on the few times they failed to score. Way to inspire confidence and show leadership there Tom. Guys really want to play for someone who treats them like a bitch when they make one or two mistakes. Never mind the unit destroyed one of the best defenses in the NFL. No, let’s focus on that one missed block or dropped pass.

And said unit wins for standing there and taking Tom’s hair flying diatribes. Really guys, not one of you could stand up and show Tom a stats sheet or more importantly the scoreboard? Just once when he acts like that I’d love one of them to just stand up and say hey Vidal Sassoon shut up or I’ll shut you up.

So Tom, for acting, and looking, like a teenage girl having a hissy fit and the Patriots offense for taking said hissy fit, you are all idiots.

The runners up this week was Daniel Snyder and the Redskin brain trust who probably should have won, but they seem to be in the running too much lately. And to Todd Haley for his finger wagging at Josh McDaniels for humiliating his team. Hey Todd, if you really wanted to threaten McDaniels you should have just told him it will be your personal mission to destroy any team he coaches from now until the end of time, like Mike Shanahan did with the Raiders for years.

On Tap This Week

Every week one team seems to just fall apart. And the next week they’re world beaters. I’m beginning to understand the feeling.

Last week: 6-6
Thursday: 0-1
Season to date: 86 – 58

I still had a better week than Jeff Reed.

Sunday

Baltimore (6-3) at Carolina (1-8)

Carolina will be starting Brian St. Pierre at quarterback. Enough said.

Ravens over Panthers

Buffalo (1-8) at Cincinnati (2-7)

Cincinnati should win, but part of me still wants to take Buffalo.

Bungles over Bills

Detroit (2-7) at Dallas (2-7)

The “astounding” turnaround continues.

Cowboys over Lions

Cleveland (3-6) at Jacksonville (5-4)

Did you know Cleveland has won 3 of the last 4 games against Jacksonville? That streak continues.

Browns over Jaguars

Arizona (3-6) at Kansas City (5-4)

If Todd Haley tries that finger wagging with Ken Whisenhunt, Ken will tear Todd’s finger off and shove it up his nose.

Chiefs over Cardinals

Green Bay (6-3) at Minnesota (3-6)

Brett Favre didn’t come back for the season Minnesota has had thus far. And he certainly didn’t come back for what will happen today.

Packers over Vikings

Houston (4-5) at New York Jets (7-2)

Houston could win. Considering how I feel about the Sanchize I think they should win. But they will find a way to blow it just like last week.

Jets over Texans

Oakland (5-4) at Pittsburgh (6-3)

I heard some people say it’s a good thing that this game between two old rivals finally means something again. Hey, it’s meant something to Oakland for years; I just hope it finally does to Pittsburgh as well.

Steelers over Raiders

Washington (4-5) at Tennessee (5-4)

Albert Haynesworth returns to Tennessee to take on his old team. If Kerry Collins plays perhaps Albert will do a better job this week. It’s not like Kerry’s scrambling will tire him out.

Titans over Redskins

Seattle (5-4) at New Orleans (6-3)

I’m still not buying into Seattle, especially if Charlie Whitehurst is prominently involved.

Saints over Seahawks

Tampa Bay (6-3) at San Francisco (3-6)

Come on, who isn’t enjoying riding the Tampa Bay bandwagon? Well, perhaps Mike Williams is enjoying it too much.

Buccaneers over 49ers

Atlanta (7-2) at St Louis (4-5)

I really do enjoy what St. Louis is doing this season. But Atlanta is making a case that they’re the class of the NFC. And it’s a compelling case.

Falcons over Rams

Indianapolis (6-3) at New England (7-2)

Manning vs. Brady, Brady vs. Manning the showdown continues! You ever wonder if the other players sit around going, hey there are 52 other players on this team too you know.

Patriots over Colts

New York Giants (6-3) at Philadelphia (6-3)

Philadelphia all day and evening. This team is playing so well right now, that even Andy Reid can’t screw it up.

Eagles over Giants

Monday

Denver (3-6) at San Diego (4-5)

OK, Denver has finally found their offense. But hey, isn’t this the time of year where San Diego starts playing like world beaters thus fooling sports writers everywhere into believing they are a championship caliber team until next October?

Chargers over Broncos