(Please excuse the following melodramatic interlude. We will return to our otherwise glib and nonsensical rants shortly.)
People go to great lengths to protect what they have. They lie, they cheat, they steal and they kill. Sometimes they even look the other way when children are being raped. Often it's for money. Sometimes for power. Other times to protect a reputation. Or maybe to protect the "way of life" at a isolated school in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. Self-preservation is a powerful urge and it grows exponentially as the perceived importance of what's being protected increases.
"We are ... Penn State" may have started nobly as a protest against segregation but it became a symbol of cult-like thinking. The kind that leads to the decision to protect a once great football program led by a once great man over the lives of vulnerable children. Instead of a show of solidarity, it became a statement of isolation. We are Penn State ... and we're better than you. We are Penn State ... and you're not.
At worst it was a conspiracy. At best unconscionable indifference. But there is no doubt it was deliberate. And in the face of such deliberate wrong, Penn State did the only thing they could - clean house. To save even a shred of what they thought made them special, everyone had to be blamed. But who really deserves the worst of it?
Mike McQueary: Even after this week's leaked email where he said "he made sure it stopped" (which doesn't necessarily contradict the grand jury statement that he believed Sandusky and the child saw him and then presumably stopped) people continue to hate the formerly anonymous graduate assistant for not doing enough. It got so bad that he ended up in protective custody. In situations like this, it's not a particularly controversial position to suggest you'd beat the shit out of a child molester. It's a golden opportunity for everyone to act like a tough guy. Now it's fair to say that you wish he had done more. To wish he had thrown Sandusky down, ran out of the building with the kid and went straight to the police. To wish he had been a hero. But it's not fair to say that's what we all would do. It's not. It's what we'd like to think we would do. To say otherwise is completely dishonest. The only honest answer is you don't know what you'd do until you're placed in such a horrific situation. McQueary didn't do all he could have but being a hero isn't easy. If it was, it wouldn't be so special.
The Administrators: These are the guys - athletic director Tim Curley and VP of Finance and Business (and overseer of campus police) Gary Schultz - facing perjury charges. They took the report from Paterno as part of the chain of command and, instead of pursuing charges, sat on it. They could have ensured prosecution but instead imposed a ban so toothless that Sandusky still brought children to closed practices. That's terrible. But they're just the fall guys here, the easy targets. They deserve our scorn but lack the power to be the worst offenders.
Jerry Sandusky: Undoubtedly a monster. But he could have been stopped. We can't see how his story doesn't end in his suicide.
(We were tempted to put his lawyer on the list as well. If only for the fact that he let his client do this.
Two things: (1) "Horsing Around" is now the creepiest thing ever; and (2) nobody who is not completely and utterly lying repeats the question and hesitates when asked if they are attracted to young boys. This should play well in court.
Joe Paterno: He wasn't always a guy who shit his pants and got confused by questions. He wasn't always your lovable grandfather with the big dopey glasses. It's no stretch to say that for most of his career JoePa was (and in some ways is) the most powerful coach in sports. Maybe even the most powerful man in the state of Pennsylvania. So to say that he reported the incident to superiors as part of the "chain of command" is absurd. Joe was in charge. He had no superiors, only people with fancy titles that do work he doesn't feel like doing. No matter that he met his legal obligations or what specifically he was told (the early statements he made about being told something vague sound a lot like an old person sanitizing the situation), he didn't do enough. When he heard Sandusky, child and shower in the same sentence, there was no gray area. He had to make it stop but he didn't.
(The worst part is that he must have known earlier. Does anyone believe that in 1998 when the first complain about Sandusky was investigated, including detectives eavesdropped on his conversations and the preparation of a lengthy investigative report by the DA, Paterno wasn't told anything? That the most powerful, plugged-in man in State College wasn't told that his defensive coordinator had gotten himself in trouble? Sandusky's "retirement" less than a year later, at age 55, could not have been a coincidence.)
1. Too Much Talking, Not Enough Playing, New York Jets
People go to great lengths to protect what they have. They lie, they cheat, they steal and they kill. Sometimes they even look the other way when children are being raped. Often it's for money. Sometimes for power. Other times to protect a reputation. Or maybe to protect the "way of life" at a isolated school in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. Self-preservation is a powerful urge and it grows exponentially as the perceived importance of what's being protected increases.
"We are ... Penn State" may have started nobly as a protest against segregation but it became a symbol of cult-like thinking. The kind that leads to the decision to protect a once great football program led by a once great man over the lives of vulnerable children. Instead of a show of solidarity, it became a statement of isolation. We are Penn State ... and we're better than you. We are Penn State ... and you're not.
At worst it was a conspiracy. At best unconscionable indifference. But there is no doubt it was deliberate. And in the face of such deliberate wrong, Penn State did the only thing they could - clean house. To save even a shred of what they thought made them special, everyone had to be blamed. But who really deserves the worst of it?
Mike McQueary: Even after this week's leaked email where he said "he made sure it stopped" (which doesn't necessarily contradict the grand jury statement that he believed Sandusky and the child saw him and then presumably stopped) people continue to hate the formerly anonymous graduate assistant for not doing enough. It got so bad that he ended up in protective custody. In situations like this, it's not a particularly controversial position to suggest you'd beat the shit out of a child molester. It's a golden opportunity for everyone to act like a tough guy. Now it's fair to say that you wish he had done more. To wish he had thrown Sandusky down, ran out of the building with the kid and went straight to the police. To wish he had been a hero. But it's not fair to say that's what we all would do. It's not. It's what we'd like to think we would do. To say otherwise is completely dishonest. The only honest answer is you don't know what you'd do until you're placed in such a horrific situation. McQueary didn't do all he could have but being a hero isn't easy. If it was, it wouldn't be so special.
The Administrators: These are the guys - athletic director Tim Curley and VP of Finance and Business (and overseer of campus police) Gary Schultz - facing perjury charges. They took the report from Paterno as part of the chain of command and, instead of pursuing charges, sat on it. They could have ensured prosecution but instead imposed a ban so toothless that Sandusky still brought children to closed practices. That's terrible. But they're just the fall guys here, the easy targets. They deserve our scorn but lack the power to be the worst offenders.
Jerry Sandusky: Undoubtedly a monster. But he could have been stopped. We can't see how his story doesn't end in his suicide.
(We were tempted to put his lawyer on the list as well. If only for the fact that he let his client do this.
Two things: (1) "Horsing Around" is now the creepiest thing ever; and (2) nobody who is not completely and utterly lying repeats the question and hesitates when asked if they are attracted to young boys. This should play well in court.
Joe Paterno: He wasn't always a guy who shit his pants and got confused by questions. He wasn't always your lovable grandfather with the big dopey glasses. It's no stretch to say that for most of his career JoePa was (and in some ways is) the most powerful coach in sports. Maybe even the most powerful man in the state of Pennsylvania. So to say that he reported the incident to superiors as part of the "chain of command" is absurd. Joe was in charge. He had no superiors, only people with fancy titles that do work he doesn't feel like doing. No matter that he met his legal obligations or what specifically he was told (the early statements he made about being told something vague sound a lot like an old person sanitizing the situation), he didn't do enough. When he heard Sandusky, child and shower in the same sentence, there was no gray area. He had to make it stop but he didn't.
(The worst part is that he must have known earlier. Does anyone believe that in 1998 when the first complain about Sandusky was investigated, including detectives eavesdropped on his conversations and the preparation of a lengthy investigative report by the DA, Paterno wasn't told anything? That the most powerful, plugged-in man in State College wasn't told that his defensive coordinator had gotten himself in trouble? Sandusky's "retirement" less than a year later, at age 55, could not have been a coincidence.)
Joe had all the power. If the coach of the mighty Penn State came out and told police that he former defensive coordinator was a child molester in 2002, Sandusky would have been in jail back then. It's just that simple. But he chose to protect himself and his program. In doing so, he lost it all. The moral high ground, winning with integrity, the sense of superiority. All gone. Suddenly tattoos and paying players doesn't seem so bad. Even a conveniently timed bout with cancer won't be enough for the old man to regain his lost sympathy.
1. Too Much Talking, Not Enough Playing, New York Jets
Everything was set up for them. It was time for this team to finally break through. To wrest control of the division away from a Pats team coming off two extremely difficult loses that advertised their flaws like a airplane towing a "2 for 1 Domestics" banner at the beach and made them seem as vulnerable as they had been in a decade. It was all there for the taking and the Jets shit the bed, losing by 21 to a team featuring two first time defensive starters and still just as lacking a deep threat as it has all season.
After a safety and touchdown in the second quarter to take a 9-6 lead, Gang Green was outscored by 24 points and generally looked like the didn't belong on the same field as their rivals. They followed up that stellar performance with another debacle, losing to Denver and allowing Tim Tebow (more on him next) to add to his legend with a 95-yard game-winning touchdown drive.
These things shouldn't happen to a team of this caliber, right?
Well, that all depends on exactly what caliber of team they are. Thanks in large part to a rare combination of boastfulness and postseason success the Jets had everyone convinced that they were really good. And they had been - at least on one half of the field. In the first two seasons under Rex, the Jets defense has been excellent, ranking 1st and 3rd in total defense. But this year, the defense has regressed (down to 8th) as teams have caught up with their schemes and started to realize that, for all their boastfulness, the defense is essentially one playmaker (Revis) and a bunch of solid guys, none of whom are big-time pass rushers.
The bigger problem, however, is the offense and its complete loss of identity. What used to be a physical run-oriented attack is not something completely discombobulated. Instead of committing to the running game an relieving pressure from their young quarterback, they added pressure by bringing in malcontent receivers and asking Sanchez to satisfy the unsatisfiable.
Expected to break-out in his third season Sanchez (despite what you'd heard) hasn't been awful, just average. You don't need to look past his 57% completions (good for 29th in the league) or watch him scamper around the pocket or walk right into a sack to see how the expectations for the team far outpace the reality of where he is in his development. Despite career highs in all the important categories, he's still not a championship level quarterback. It's not to say he won't get there but it's going to take some time. The team succeeding on the fast track is that the time table for a Super Bowl has been pushed up dramatically and he's not ready.
While everyone else seems keenly aware of this issue, the Jets seem completely oblivious. That's really the only explanation as to why Rex would willingly ditch his annoyingly named "ground and pound philosophy" and throw the ball 40 times in back-to-back weeks against less than stellar defenses.
We can only imagine the the game planning conversations these guys have:
These things shouldn't happen to a team of this caliber, right?
Well, that all depends on exactly what caliber of team they are. Thanks in large part to a rare combination of boastfulness and postseason success the Jets had everyone convinced that they were really good. And they had been - at least on one half of the field. In the first two seasons under Rex, the Jets defense has been excellent, ranking 1st and 3rd in total defense. But this year, the defense has regressed (down to 8th) as teams have caught up with their schemes and started to realize that, for all their boastfulness, the defense is essentially one playmaker (Revis) and a bunch of solid guys, none of whom are big-time pass rushers.
The bigger problem, however, is the offense and its complete loss of identity. What used to be a physical run-oriented attack is not something completely discombobulated. Instead of committing to the running game an relieving pressure from their young quarterback, they added pressure by bringing in malcontent receivers and asking Sanchez to satisfy the unsatisfiable.
Expected to break-out in his third season Sanchez (despite what you'd heard) hasn't been awful, just average. You don't need to look past his 57% completions (good for 29th in the league) or watch him scamper around the pocket or walk right into a sack to see how the expectations for the team far outpace the reality of where he is in his development. Despite career highs in all the important categories, he's still not a championship level quarterback. It's not to say he won't get there but it's going to take some time. The team succeeding on the fast track is that the time table for a Super Bowl has been pushed up dramatically and he's not ready.
While everyone else seems keenly aware of this issue, the Jets seem completely oblivious. That's really the only explanation as to why Rex would willingly ditch his annoyingly named "ground and pound philosophy" and throw the ball 40 times in back-to-back weeks against less than stellar defenses.
We can only imagine the the game planning conversations these guys have:
Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer: Hey coach. Hope I'm not interrupting anything, just wondering what kind of game plan you were thinking for this week?
Rex Ryan (puts down shoe catalog): Ground and pound those fuckers. That's what we're gonna do!!
BS: I thought you might say that. Here's the thing, I just gone done watching tape from the last two weeks and teams really exploited their secondary. So, I'm thinking ...
RR: GROUND AND POUND?!?!
BS: Actually ... I was thinking we might throw the ball a bit. After all, our quarterback was a Top 5 pick. Plus all those receivers we brought in the last couple of years are starting to complain.
RR: (picks up giant turkey leg) I thought we got rid of that guy?
BS: It wasn't just one of them. Anyway, about throwing the ball ...
RR: Ground. And. Fucking. Pound.
BS: Ok, that's cool. If you don't have the confidence ...
RR: (stares at leg tattoo for inspiration) Wait! I changed my mind. Sanchez is the greatest fucking quarterback on the best fucking team in the fucking world!! Let's do that shit!! CHUCK AND DUCK!! I don't care anyway, I'll be coaching MY defense.
BS: Excellent.
Rex Ryan (puts down shoe catalog): Ground and pound those fuckers. That's what we're gonna do!!
BS: I thought you might say that. Here's the thing, I just gone done watching tape from the last two weeks and teams really exploited their secondary. So, I'm thinking ...
RR: GROUND AND POUND?!?!
BS: Actually ... I was thinking we might throw the ball a bit. After all, our quarterback was a Top 5 pick. Plus all those receivers we brought in the last couple of years are starting to complain.
RR: (picks up giant turkey leg) I thought we got rid of that guy?
BS: It wasn't just one of them. Anyway, about throwing the ball ...
RR: Ground. And. Fucking. Pound.
BS: Ok, that's cool. If you don't have the confidence ...
RR: (stares at leg tattoo for inspiration) Wait! I changed my mind. Sanchez is the greatest fucking quarterback on the best fucking team in the fucking world!! Let's do that shit!! CHUCK AND DUCK!! I don't care anyway, I'll be coaching MY defense.
BS: Excellent.
Every Sane Person in the World: Hey Guys, Real quick, those two guys who exploited the Pats defense, they had Super Bowl winning quarterbacks and you have Mark Sanchez. In case that didn't sink in all the way, you have MARK SANCHEZ!! He completes like 50% of his passes and has a tendency to throw crippling interceptions after running around in the backfield pointing at people for like 5 minutes. It's like he thinks he's still playing in his backyard in Long Beach. He's just not that good right now. If you give him the ball too many times, you're going to be sorry. It's not worth it to compromise your team's identity just to try to keep too never satisfied receivers happy. Maybe you guys should reconsider?
BS/RR: Nah.
BS/RR: Nah.
For the point forward, we are officially imposing a gas order on all discussion of the New York Jets, their chances for a division title, Super Bowl aspirations and general claims of awesomeness. The ban will remain in effect until their biggest accomplishment is something other than losing the biggest game of their season.
As for the Pats, we've been told that people "despise our column" because we don't show them enough respect. That's fine. We're here to spit hot truth not kiss Belichick's rings. Still, they deserve credit. For all their, they still don't lose three games in a row and with a relatively easy schedule remaining (they could realistically rip off 7 straight wins) they seem like a lock yet another AFC East crown. But, we maintain that the real test for this team will come playoff time and they have a lot of work to do.
2. Tebow, Tebow, Tebow Tebows;
Nobody really doubted that this Tebow thing would be interesting. Still, nobody thought it would involve a time machine. The Chefs box score (8 pass attempts, 2 completions, 69 yards balanced out with 55 rushing attempts) seemed more resembles a tilt between Sid Luckman and "Slingin" Sammy Baugh than something you'd see in the pass-happy game being played today. And the Jets one wasn't much better (9 completions to 34 team runs).
The Boncos have been smart. Instead of attempting to answer what everyone was asking - "Can Tim Tebow could throw the ball well enough to win at the NFL level?" - they simply changed the question. It's now - "Does he even need to." It's incredibly interesting to watch an NFL team run what is essentially the spread option - an offense, in various forms, that has dominated college football for the better part of forever but never caught on at the pro level. The main criticisms have been two-fold: (1) professional defenses are too smart and too fast to be exploited like college defenses are; and (2) quarterbacks are worth too much money to subject them to the pounding associated with so much running.
With Tebow's size (6'3", 230), deceptive speed and toughness, he might be the first quarterback in awhile to be able to take the hits to make it work. As for the second criticism, these types of offenses are the ones that serve as the great equalizers in college football. Their uniqueness and difficulty in preparation allow undermanned teams to compete, like Navy to beating teams that outweigh them by 80 pounds on average and making bowl games every year. Denver is benefiting from that right now. Maybe NFL defenses are too fast and too smart to let the option beat them on a week-to-week but as the sole team running it, the Broncos have a competitive advantage.
Fortune often favors the bold and while there's at least some percentage chance that if the Broncos committed fully and shifted their entire team structure to run option concepts that they could succeed, a complete overhaul of the roster with multiple quarterbacks who can run the system (which could represent a serious Moneyball-like market inefficiency) isn't the type of thing NFL coaches are known for. No matter how many times he wins (he's 5-3 in the last two seasons. In game he hasn't started the team is 4-14. Feel free to explain that for us) Tebow will have to conform to succeed.
Everyone has an opinion on Tebow but what's the point. Plenty of quarterbacks people thought would suck have succeeded. Plenty who were pegged to succeed have failed. Slow starters have developed and immediate success has become a flash in the pan. Sure, he doesn't look like one right now but who says he can't be an above-average starter with off the charts intangibles at some point. Nobody knows.
What we do know is that it will be fun while it lasts. The only thing we ask is that if the Broncos want to play like it's the 1940's, shouldn't they be required to go all the way - ride trains to all their games, listen to Glenn Miller, have half their team drafted to fight Nazis and be in awe of a slinky? The Broncos are a team out of time and Tim Tebow is Captain America.
Rating: Tebow Tebow Tebows.
The Boncos have been smart. Instead of attempting to answer what everyone was asking - "Can Tim Tebow could throw the ball well enough to win at the NFL level?" - they simply changed the question. It's now - "Does he even need to." It's incredibly interesting to watch an NFL team run what is essentially the spread option - an offense, in various forms, that has dominated college football for the better part of forever but never caught on at the pro level. The main criticisms have been two-fold: (1) professional defenses are too smart and too fast to be exploited like college defenses are; and (2) quarterbacks are worth too much money to subject them to the pounding associated with so much running.
With Tebow's size (6'3", 230), deceptive speed and toughness, he might be the first quarterback in awhile to be able to take the hits to make it work. As for the second criticism, these types of offenses are the ones that serve as the great equalizers in college football. Their uniqueness and difficulty in preparation allow undermanned teams to compete, like Navy to beating teams that outweigh them by 80 pounds on average and making bowl games every year. Denver is benefiting from that right now. Maybe NFL defenses are too fast and too smart to let the option beat them on a week-to-week but as the sole team running it, the Broncos have a competitive advantage.
Fortune often favors the bold and while there's at least some percentage chance that if the Broncos committed fully and shifted their entire team structure to run option concepts that they could succeed, a complete overhaul of the roster with multiple quarterbacks who can run the system (which could represent a serious Moneyball-like market inefficiency) isn't the type of thing NFL coaches are known for. No matter how many times he wins (he's 5-3 in the last two seasons. In game he hasn't started the team is 4-14. Feel free to explain that for us) Tebow will have to conform to succeed.
Everyone has an opinion on Tebow but what's the point. Plenty of quarterbacks people thought would suck have succeeded. Plenty who were pegged to succeed have failed. Slow starters have developed and immediate success has become a flash in the pan. Sure, he doesn't look like one right now but who says he can't be an above-average starter with off the charts intangibles at some point. Nobody knows.
What we do know is that it will be fun while it lasts. The only thing we ask is that if the Broncos want to play like it's the 1940's, shouldn't they be required to go all the way - ride trains to all their games, listen to Glenn Miller, have half their team drafted to fight Nazis and be in awe of a slinky? The Broncos are a team out of time and Tim Tebow is Captain America.
Rating: Tebow Tebow Tebows.
3. Aaron Rodgers;
By now we've all heard it by now, Trent Dilfer and his slightly-flawed grammar wax poetically about how "Aaron is playing the quarterback position as good as any player he's every seen in all facets of the game." In fact, he's been repeating it so often and so loudly that its entered the collective sports consciousness and people have adopted it as their own opinion. He's got the heart of a lion, the quickness of a cat, the brain of a genius, the strength of a dump truck, the speed of something really fast, all that crap. We get it. And there really is no argument that he's playing out of this world football (all-time highs in completion % and passer rating, leading the league in touchdowns (28 with only 3 picks) and 9.7 yards per attempt) and is the the best quarterback and player (even if some of the same people who are now creaming over Rodgers were hailing Megatron 5 weeks ago) in the league. But doesn't it feel like we have this same conversation every couple of years when a respected quarterback has a phenomenal season?
Is he really playing better than Montana in 1988 (lead the league with 70% completions, 112 QB rating, and 9.1 yards per attempt with 28 touchdowns in 13 games when 29 was the top number)?
Or Steve Young in 1994 (lead the league with 70% completions, 35 touchdowns, 112 QB rating and 8.6 yards per attempt)?
Or Kurt Warner in 1999 (lead the league with 65% completions, 41 touchdowns, 8.7 ypa and 109 QB rating) when he piloted the offense that has become the standard that every other explosive outlet is compared to?
Or Peyton Manning in 2004 when he threw a then-record 49 touchdowns and lead the league with 9.2 ypa and 121 QB rating?
Or how about Tom Brady during 2007's undefeated regular season when he threw a record 50 touchdowns while also leading the league with 69% completions, 4800 yards (300 per game), 8.3 ypa and 117 QB rating?
And that doesn't even consider some of the great seasons by guys like Marino, Elway and even the Dongslinger.
Rodgers might have the statistical advantage over all of these guys but keep in mind that we're in an unprecedented passing league right now with more players throwing for more yards, all of the rules skewed to protect quarterbacks and get receivers open and new innovations like wide receiver screens and back shoulder throws that didn't exist when some of these guys were making their marks. Nobody shits on Jerry West for not shooting fade-aways.
Rating: Infinite Levels of Hyperbole.
4. Good Loss, Cincinnati Bengals;
There are good losses, bad losses and just plain losses.
Good losses come when young teams, just beginning to make their mark, step up in competition and play an established power or rival. They keep the game close but lose due to inexperience and youth but not necessarily talent. Though they go home without a victory, the team serves notice that they can compete.
The Bengals loss to the Steelers was a good one. Thanks to some very strewed drafting, they have two of the best rookies in football playing positions that can elevate the team over the long run. Add in an excellent defense and the Bengals had the look of a team on the rise. But they needed to prove it against a contender. Show that they're record wasn't a product of luck or soft scheduling. And they did exactly that playing the defending AFC Champions and division rival, Pittsburgh Steelers tight enough to be tied in the 3rd quarter. Had the Ginger Assassin not been a rookie, he might not have thrown those two fourth quarter interceptions, maybe they win the game. Had A.J. Green not gotten hurt, maybe he makes a play to keep it even closer. Either way, the Bengals look like they belong.
For Bengal fans this must be both an exciting and a scary time. They been down this road before. In 2004, they had one of the hottest young quarterback/receiver combos in the league. The next season they won the division and looked not just like a team on the rise but one that might be around for awhile. They weren't. Things fell apart thanks to a busted knee and busted organization and three years later they were 4-11.
Now they have a new quarterback and a new (potentially better) receiver. The question remains as to whether they have the same old busted organization. We asked a Bengal-fan friend of ours what it's like to root for a team like that, to have the excitement of good young players dampened by the knowledge that failure is lurking around the corner. His response? "It's like being a Mets fan." Say no more.
Rating: 10 Mad Faces.
5. Bad, Terrible Awful Loss, Baltimore Ravens;
Bad loses seem to happen in Seattle but that doesn't make them any better. In fact, their awfulness is somewhat masked by a home field advantage amplified by the depressing nature of traveling to a place that rains 4 million (just an estimate) inches a year.
Before last week, reasonable people might have pegged Baltimore as the best team in the AFC if they looked solely at their wins. They'd beaten Pittsburgh (twice, once convincingly), the Jets, and Texans. Those wins however are slightly overshadowed by loses to Tennessee, Jacksonville and now Seattle. How a team with Ray Lewis isn't fired up to play every game is beyond us. If it weren't for the NFL he'd be leading a mass suicide in some South American jungle. And we'd be there mixing drinks.
Each week it becomes more clear that there are no great teams in the American Conference, only a bunch pretty good ones. Of the six most probable playoff teams - New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Houston and Oakland - given the right right match-ups, a hot quarterback or defense and a few breaks, would you be surprised it any of them could end up in Indy. The defending conference representative that can't beat its division rival? The aforementioned division rival that only seems to play when it matters? The team lead by a red-headed rookie quarterback? The one with no defense or deep threat? The team with a quarterback who was retired until earlier this month and it run by a ghost gm? Or the one piloted by Matt Leinart? This thing is wide the fuck open.
If it makes Raven fans feel any better, at least they didn't lose at home with their season on the line to a team quarterbacked by a dude from Fordham named Skelton. You know it's an upset when 90% of the teams in your suicide pool are busted by one team. It doesn't hurt as much when its the Eagles though. With the season down the drain, its time to assess Andy Reid's future. With all the "success" he's had and all the money the team has made during his tenure, it hard to imagine the front office making a change barring a true disaster. Amazingly, at 3-6, we're not quite there yet. At this point, we'll set Big Red's magic number to stay at 2.
Rating: 0 Mad Faces.
6. Just a Loss, New York Gigantes;
For a good part of the week, we heard all about how Big Blue's loss at San Fran was somehow "good." It was not. A loss where you outgain the opposition by almost a hundred yards, hold their best player to 0 (no, its not a letter) yards rushing and make them rely heavily on Alex Smith is not a good loss. It doesn't matter what the score was of if the Giants were playing Ron Dayne and Ike Hillard, the Giants should have won that game. Still, when it happens against an 8-1 team that has "it", we can't get ourselves all excited about it, even if the Cowboys look reborn lately.
Everything will be ok once they put the last nail in the Eagles coffin on Sunday Night Football. For once, we will be waiting all day for Sunday night.
Rating: 10 Cautiously Optimistic Faces.
7. This Week's Reminder Why We Hate Fantasy Football - Zeroes.
Previous 5 games: 634 yards. 100 + all 5 times. Sunday: 0 yards. Unsurprisingly, we didn't win our game. To add to the insult, Gore's awful performance came just in time to destroy his trade value before the deadline.
Honorable mention to the Bears defense for scoring 30 fantasy points and costing us another game we should have one.
Rating: Fuck Frank.
For a good part of the week, we heard all about how Big Blue's loss at San Fran was somehow "good." It was not. A loss where you outgain the opposition by almost a hundred yards, hold their best player to 0 (no, its not a letter) yards rushing and make them rely heavily on Alex Smith is not a good loss. It doesn't matter what the score was of if the Giants were playing Ron Dayne and Ike Hillard, the Giants should have won that game. Still, when it happens against an 8-1 team that has "it", we can't get ourselves all excited about it, even if the Cowboys look reborn lately.
Everything will be ok once they put the last nail in the Eagles coffin on Sunday Night Football. For once, we will be waiting all day for Sunday night.
Rating: 10 Cautiously Optimistic Faces.
7. This Week's Reminder Why We Hate Fantasy Football - Zeroes.
Previous 5 games: 634 yards. 100 + all 5 times. Sunday: 0 yards. Unsurprisingly, we didn't win our game. To add to the insult, Gore's awful performance came just in time to destroy his trade value before the deadline.
Honorable mention to the Bears defense for scoring 30 fantasy points and costing us another game we should have one.
Rating: Fuck Frank.
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