Tuesday Morning Week 8 Recap.

Week 8 Predictions Heads up: 8-5

Week 8 Predictions against the Spread: 8-5

Record so far: 54-46

Week 8 had a rough beginning with the early games on Sunday being absolutely terrible. The Jacksonville Jaguars blowing out the Cowboys, Denver and San Francisco being themselves in England, and Green Bay and New York playing an incredibly sloppy game in the meadowlands.  However the 2^nd half of Sunday held up much better with a very exciting Arizona Tampa Bay game, the Saints playing like their old selves against the Steelers and San Diego keeping themselves on life support with a win against the Titans.  Then it was closed out with a masterful performance by Peyton Manning on Monday night reminding us that he could probably win a few games surrounded by a rec team. On to the quick hits.

Doesn't Brad Childress look like he belongs on “To Catch a Predator”

Chris Hanson is onto you Childress

That’s more of a side note to the ridiculousness that is going on right now in Minnesota. So it’s written into Brad Childress’ contract that he has complete control over all personal decisions without having to consult with anyone. So of course since his authority and decision making had been questioned it’s ok to jettison a player they traded a 3^rd round pick for 4 weeks after picking him up, and possibly having to pay his salary for the rest of  the year. This move sort of shows the absolute ineptitude of the Minnesota Vikings decision making process. You go out during the summer multiple times to convince a player who doesn’t want to play to come back. You then trade a 3^rd round pick for Randy Moss and are surprised when he says something controversial in a press conference or when he doesn’t play as hard as you would like him to? This is what Randy Moss does, this is what he’s been doing since he came into the league to trade for him and act surprised when this happens shows a complete lack of foresight on the part of the Minnesota Vikings. Sure nobody liked what he did on that play with pass interference he clearly didn’t even try to make a stab at that ball, but that’s what you get when you sign Randy Moss. To give up a 3^rd round pick for him for a 4 week stay is an inexcusable lack of judgment by what we thought was a super bowl team before the season. It just goes to show how truly important coaching is, a good coach can combine personalities, and can handle the disparate ones, and bad coaches cannot. Brad Childress ladies and gentleman is not just a bad coach, he's an awful one.

Speaking of questionable coaching moves……

The 5th sign of the Apocalypse.

So Mike Shanahan decides to bench Donovan Mcnabb for the final drive of the game, this is a bit problematic if he’s playing bad since you’ve already invested in him with a big trade in the offseason and you want to give him every chance to succeed. However this becomes even more insane when he’s replaced by Rex Grossman of all people, who then proceeds to do what he always does and gives up a sack/fumble on his first play. Ballgame lions win get Ndamaka Suh his defensive rookie of the year trophy. Donovan Mcnabb hadn’t been playing all that terrible going into that drive, 210 yards 1 touchdown and 1 pick, nothing spectacular but nothing bench worthy either. After the game Shanahan comes out and says that Mcnabb doesn’t have the knowledge of the 2 minute offense that Rex Grossman does. Really? That’s the best excuse you could come up with? It’s not like Mcnabb got there late, he was there all offseason from OTA’s on and participated in everything imaginable if he didn’t have the offense down by then he shouldn’t have been the starter. Then a few days later he says that the problem was his hamstring injury and that he’s not in the kind of shape they want him to be to run the 2 minute drill. Mcnabb has run the 2 minute drill 4 times for the Redskins you would assume that if he wasn't in the shape to run it you would have said something after the first one. Mike Shanahan has already alienated one member of the Redskins in Albert Hanyseworth and it didn't bite him in the ass, I don't know if he can do it with their starting QB and expect this season to end any better the previous Redskin seasons. Maybe Shanahan looks at Grossman and see's all of what he saw in Jay Cutler a strong arm that can throw an interception with the best of em, and maintain an insane amount of confidence after 1........2........3........hell even 4 interceptions. I mean honestly how could he resist. The question becomes can Shanahan put his Cutler urges aside and try to guide the Redskins with a competent QB or will his itch get the best of them. Oh whats that.....the Redskins just worked out Jamarcus Russell......may god have mercy upon Shanahans soul.

An Old Fashioned AFC West Battle

If somebody would have told you the week 9 game between the Chiefs and Raiders would have been for the lead in the AFC West would you have believed them? Both teams are run first teams with an explosive playmaker in the run game and an adequate QB behind center. Both teams count on their front four to create pressure for their better than expected secondary to capitalize. The Chiefs have Brandon Flowers coming into his own as a shutdown cornerback and their young draft pick Eric Berry turning into the ball hawking safety they hoped when they drafted him 5th overall. The Raiders have mainstay Nnamdi Asomugha finally getting some help on the other side from Stanford Routt who is finally becoming the player the Raiders thought they drafted in the 2^nd round. Up front the Chiefs count on Tamba Hali to create havoc on the edge and he’s doing it with 7 sacks which puts him in the top 5 of the league. The Raiders go with a pass rush by committee approach with Richard Seymour, Matt Shaughnessy, and Kamerion Wimbley all having more than 4.5 sacks. It will be a battle of the #1 rushing offense vs the #2 rushing offense. A battle of a Raider team that has beat its past two opponents by a combined score of 92-17 and chiefs team on its own 2 game winning streak. Now they face off in Oakland in front of presumably half full Oakland Coliseum for the division lead, whoever stays true to their identity of running the football and getting after the quarterback will come out the victor.