NFL Week 7 Game Notes

Games that I watched this weekend:

Bengals beat Jets: Eight second half rushes by Thomas Jones is not enough when
you are up 10 at half. The offensive line did a poor job at opening up holes
for Jones to run through, a travesty considering that the Bengals had been
giving up a ton of yards on the ground through their first five games.Overall, the Jet offensive line is not playing well this year. I thought it was a team strength , but has yet to live up to expectations. Pennington needs to take a seat. It may seem like a panic move by some, but at 1-6, what are your options? Is he going to be your QB next season? If the answer is yes, then keep him in there, but if the answer is no, bring in Clemens and see what he has. The Jet defense stinks. No pass rush, can't stop the run, and opposition receivers are constantly open. I was very wrong about the Jets this season, having them winning the division. Congrats to the Bengals on winning this game. A big test against the Steelers this weekend. If they want recognition as a playoff contender, a home win against a division opponent is a must.

Giants defeat San Fran: The Giants are playing the best football in the NFC right now and took care of an inferior San Fran team. The offensive line is playing at an elite level, Jacobs and company are running angry and the receiving trio of Burress, Shockey and Toomer are making plays. Manning seemed to have avoided his mandatory one bone headed interception per game in this one. The interception deep inside SF territory was the result of a tipped pass at the line. The effectiveness of the Giant defense is dependent on the front 4. Whenthey are causing havoc, the Giant defense is solid because the weaknesses at LB and secondary are being masked. Outside of Antonio Pierce, the Giants lack a consistent playmaker behind the defensive line. However, if the line plays at the level they are playing at now, the Giants have a real shot at the East andat making a deep playoff push.

Buffalo defeats Baltimore: Ok, so there are 60 seconds left in the 2nd Q. The
Ravens are down 9-0 and have the ball, 4th and 10 from the Bill 39 yard line. I am watching the game thinking "The punt unit is coming out, why is the punt unit coming out?" You are at home, have a defense you believe in and there are 60 seconds left in the half. Why is this guy punting? I thought that was a bad call on Billick’s part, especially with Baltimore getting the kick to start the 2nd half. The second half starts with a Baltimore TD drive featuring McGahee running for 72 yards on 4 carries. What does the "offensive genius" Billick do on the next Baltimore possession, down 12 -7? Pass, pass, pass, punt. The next Baltimore possession when they were down 19-7, with 18 minutes left to play? The get to the Buffalo 8 yard line, 3rd and 3. McGahee is running hard and the offensive line is playing well, run the ball was what I thought. Wrong. The "offensive genius" calls two pass plays resulting in two incompletions. If you know you are going for it on 4th down, run it on 3rd and 4th down. Buffalo is a tough team and Marshawn Lynch is a gifted running back. He is going to be a good player in this league for a while. My AFC final 4 included the Ravens and not the Patriots. I would like to amend that prediction please.

Cowboys defeat Vikings: I am still not convinced that Dallas is an elite team but they continue to win, so what do I know. Their defense is a weakness and will prevent them from reaching the Super Bowl if they do not tighten up that unit. Marion Barber runs like he is possessed and needs to be the featured back. He is tough, blocks extremely well, comes out of the backfield as a receiver better than Jones and has a mean streak that is needed to win in this league. Romo played at an All Pro type level in this game. If the Vikings had a QB, they would fight for a playoff spot.

Patriots defeat Dolphins: It was interesting the way every onlooker at the bar, regardless of fan affiliation, watched every Patriot possession in the first half. As Brady had his customary seven Mississippi count in the pocket, a collective, anticipatory hush fell across the bar on both his long attempts to Moss, and laughter of dismay and pleasure when Moss came down with the TDs. All football fans know that the Patriot offense can break records and most of these fans are happy to be witness to it. Good luck to Ronnie Brown and Renaldo Hill on their upcoming ACL reconstructions and rehabilitations. Good luck to the Dolphins on possibly winning a game this year.

Bears defeat Eagles: When a team get to the red zone, the field shrinks. WRs need to work harder to get open. This is not happening in Philly and their red zone TD rate is abysmal because of it. Ronnie Brown and Kevin Curtis are not the answer at WR and the Eagle offense is paying for it. It is no coincidence that the one year McNabb had an elite WR, the Eagles went to the Super Bowl and McNabb was an MVP candidate. It is a shame that the Eagles refuse to go out and get McNabb support outside of Westbrook and I root for him to get out of Philly when this year is complete and go somewhere that will support his tremendous talent better. Chicago is a better team with Griese at helm and they are also a better team when Adrian Peterson gets more touches than Cedric Benson. I see little in Benson at this point. No toughness and no desire to get the extra yard. Peterson will start to get more touches as the season progresses,

New Orleans defeats Atlanta: If you go to nfl.com, you can see a 4 minute or so highlight clip from every game. If you look at the clip of this game, take note of the angle the Atlanta LB takes on Bush’s 4th Q TD run after catch. It’s 3rd and goal form the 4. Short pass to the left and Bush gets tangled with the right CB and is being held up. The LB in question, running from the middle of the field towards the tangle on the right sideline between Bush and the right CB, does a very amateur thing. Instead of knocking them all out of bounds, he tries to push the pile back towards the line of scrimmage. Bush frees himself and scores. Atlanta is playing above their talent level and could have three wins at this point. They played better than Jacksonville in week two and outplayed N.O. in this game. Jerious Norewood deserves more touches and Roddy White is a future All Pro.

Colts beat Jaguars: A clinic by the Colt offense. They took what the Jaguar defense gave them and wore out Jacksonville by the end of the game. In all the years I have watched Manning and company, I feel that this is their most cohesive offensive unit. The offensive line is elite, Wayne is now a seasoned veteran making the difficult catches, Marvin is still his All Pro self, Addai and Keith are both tough, explosive runners and Clark has emerged as an elite TE. I will be rooting for them in two weeks against the Pats. Why was Jones- Drew running the ball with 3 minutes to go in the game down by 3 TDs. I hope his knee injury is non-lingering.

Seattle defeats St. Louis: Seattle will probably win the NFC West, but they lack a toughness needed to make a deep push in the playoffs. Alexander is running like he is avoiding contact and the offensive line is nothing to brag about. The defense is the Seahawk strength right now.

Chiefs defeat Raiders: With the pints of Sam Adams and Patron shots flowing, I really did not watch this game too intently, but I will say this. What the hell is Priest Holmes doing back on the football field? He suffered a neck/spine injury categorized as severe two years ago and now is going helmet to helmet again with very angry, very large defensive players that do not care of prior spinal/ neck injury. Does he need the money, because if so, I’ll start a collection. He should not be on the field.