Tuesday Morning Week 9 Recap.

Week 9 Predictions Heads up: 9-4

Week 9 Predictions against the Spread: 9-3-1

Record so far: 63-50

Week 9 was a pretty good week for me overall. I did pretty well on my predictions and the Raiders won their biggest game in 8 years. The Cowboys are now officially without a doubt the worst team in the league and are fighting to become the worst team in Cowboys history. The Patriots lost in an absolute blow out to Bill Belichick's most hated rival. I don’t know if I could ask for much more in a week from football. This week we were introduced to Jacoby Ford, Jacob Tamme, and Seyi Ajirotutu. Speaking of Ajirotutu I don’t know if anybody is playing better football right now than Phillip Rivers this week he went out against the Texans and threw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns on only 23 attempts which is insane. However if that wasn’t crazy enough for you, he does all that without his top 4 receivers relying on the aforementioned Ajirotutu, and Randy McMichael to dissect the Texans secondary. I have to say as big a man crush as I have on Tom Brady and Peyton Manning Phillip Rivers has been the MVP of the league so far through 9 weeks.

Jerry Jones finally takes Wade Phillips out back with the shotgun

This is hanging on my office wall

Seriously was there a sadder team to watch last weekend than the Dallas Cowboys? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team give up as easily as the cowboys did against the Packers. 45-7 and the game wasn’t even that close as the Packers eased off the gas pedal in the entirety of the 4^th. I assume everyone’s seen the Mike Jenkins play where he’s at the goal line and doesn’t even attempt to make the tackle, a lot of times we talk about teams quitting but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it any clearer than that. As much as Jerry Jones talked about how changing coaches isn’t the thing to do and their isn’t a track record of success from it he had to make this move. If only for mercies sake alone, Wade Phillips needed to be put out of his own misery coaching a team that had clearly given up on him and whatever he had to impart upon them. You combine that with the injury to Tony Romo and a season that already seemed lost was thrown into the abyss. This goes right along with the coaching history of Phillips everywhere he goes it takes around 2 or 3 years for the players to tune him out and for the record to reflect it.  Now where do the Cowboys go from here, the fact it took them this long to fire Wade Phillips doesn’t speak particularly highly of Jason Garrett or anyone else on that staff. However if Jason Garrett were to put together a respectable season he could have a chance at the job going into 2010 however the odds of that seem unlikely. A bigger question to me is whether this team had the talent to compete and not the coaching or do they require more talent as well, as important as coaching is I don’t think a team as talented as the Cowboys are supposed to be can go out and get crushed like they have the past few weeks. Knowing Jerry Jones I see a Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden in the cowboys future at a crisp 7 or 8 million dollars a year.

We can officially welcome the Oakland Raiders back to the land of the living

With 3 straight wins going into the bye week the Oakland Raiders are above 500 this late in the season for the first time since 2002 when they made the super bowl. I doubt any Raider fans have delusions of their team making the Super Bowl but a division crown isn’t nearly as farfetched as it would have seemed this time in august. The AFC West is anyone’s guess right now with the Chargers seemingly righting the ship and Kansas City still a half game ahead but the Raiders have a leg up on both of them with its sterling 3-0 divisional record. However looking at the Raiders schedule the rest of the way and things won’t be easy, if they want to win this division or at least make the playoffs it’s going to be a huge struggle.  At Pittsburgh, Miami, at San Diego, at Jacksonville, Denver, Indy, and the last game is at Kansas City. Looking at those games I would  say that I think the Raiders are only going to win 3 which would put them at 8-8, but as this Raider team has already shown they can’t be counted out as easily as the Raider teams of the past few years. One of the biggest stories of this team that doesn’t get enough attention is the rebirth of the Raider defense, right now they’re only ranked 7^th in total defense and 26^th against the run however in the past 3 weeks they've held teams to 47, 75, and 104 yards rushing. That 104 yard game was last week against the Chiefs who came in with the league’s top rushing attack averaging 190 yards per game and had 3 straight 200 yard rushing performances. Richard Seymour has been a force for the Raiders at defensive tackle so far in 8 weeks he has more individual tackles and sacks than he did in 16 games last year. The Raiders might have finally hit on an offensive tackle prospect with Jared Veldheer out of Hillsdale College; while he gave up a sack to Tamba Hali last week he held his own for a large portion of the game and has come on in recent weeks to be one of their most consistent linemen. It seems the Raiders might have finally learned something the good teams known for a while; you build your team from the offensive and defensive line out. Perhaps all this talent in the trenches can propel the raiders out of the one they’ve been in for the past few years.

Does anybody know who the best team in the NFL is?

Picture unrelated: This blog has gone to long without Mel Kiper's hair

It can’t be the Patriots after they get demolished by the Cleveland browns by 20 points. Is it the Steelers after they squeak by against the Bengals at home? The Ravens who beat a solid Miami team but have already lost to the earlier mentioned Patriots. Maybe the Falcons, but they were a goal line stand away from losing to Tampa Bay this week. Perhaps your team of choice is the Giants being as they've strung off 4 straight wins a few of them in impressive fashion. The only problem with them is how entirely unimpressive that loss in Indy was early in the season.The Packers, they did just beat the Cowboys 45-7 and have played well the past few weeks, but honestly how much is beating the cowboys worth…half a win? A quarter win? We always talk about parity in sports well this is what parity looks like. No dominant teams, a league full of teams who we can all poke holes in. A few teams who seem pretty good, but every week you look at who they play and think that team has a chance. There are so few gimmes anymore in the NFL because so many of the teams are so closely clumped together. There’s the 5 or 6 elite/really good teams, followed by pack of 15 middle of the road teams where 3 or 4 playoff teams will emerge, and then the rest of the league which is pretty bad.  Honestly I have no idea who’s going to win or even make the super bowl right now. There are 8 or so teams I could all see playing in the super bowl right now and part of me is excited in the fact that there’s still so much up in the air, but I’m also disappointed in that no team has really come into this season and taken the league by the reins. 

Week 9 Preview

If you had Randy Moss being picked up by the Titans in your office pool please take a bow. If you had Shawne Merriman being picked up by the Bills in your office pool you should probably seek counseling because you have a gambling problem. A few big games this week for the AFC West and NFC South, and a couple of premieres of once elite players with new teams. I have to be honest with you, they're are only 3 or 4 games this week that I'm really looking forward to. The good thing about sports is that a good game can always sneak up on you and I'm sure a few will this week just like they do every other week.

Randy Moss is a Titan

The first thing I thought when Randy Moss joined the Titans was this, can Vince Young transform into a Daunte Culpepper circa 2003/2004? I don’t think he has the arm strength or accuracy to replicate the ridiculous numbers that Culpepper put up but I think you get my point. The Titans have already shown they’re not opposed to throwing a ball up for grabs multiple times in a game as shown by Kenny Britt’s performance a few weeks ago. You pair Randy Moss with Chris Johnson and you have yourself a pretty dynamic set of players that are a threat to score every snap, every snap Randy Moss feels like playing I mean. So perhaps this will be a good fit for Randy or perhaps he’ll be looking for another team in 4 weeks…….nah that couldn’t happen again could it?

Roid rage personified

Shawne Merriman is a Bill

In a significantly less glamorous story Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman joined the Buffalo Bills. This pretty much tells the entirety of the story, Merriman was once the most feared defensive player in the NFL destroying any team that dared to single block him and exploding through numerous double teams. Now I don’t know if calling him a shell of his former self would be too much praise. He’s recorded 4 sacks in the past 3 years, after having 17 in a 12 game season some 5 years ago. He was clearly never the same after the knee injury, and it’s truly sad because despite the steroid use during at least the 2004 season if not more I still think he was a great player. However it looks like we’re about to turn the lights out on the career of Shawne Merriman.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

Atlanta -9

The two big divisional games this week are Bucs vs. Falcons and Raiders vs. Chiefs. I doubt many if anybody saw these two games being for the division lead in week 9. Atlanta is a team that has won all their games at home and stole a few on the road. Outside of the San Francisco game the Falcons won their previous two home games handily. Everyone is criticizing the Bucs because they haven’t beaten an elite opponent but they can only play who’s on the schedule. The more troubling thing about the Bucs is the one time they played an elite team they got absolutely blasted by the Steelers 38-7. That same Steelers team struggled against the Falcons at home squeaking out a 15-9 victory. The common opponent theory never really holds up that well so while that seems to say a lot it could end up counting for nothing. However you go to their next game against an elite team and they got blew out by the Saints, that’s enough for me to say they’ll lose once again to a team trying to establish themselves as elite.

Falcons 21

Bucs 13

Miami @ Baltimore

Baltimore -5

The Dolphins remain the true road warriors of the NFL having not lost a game on the road this year; they play a fresh Ravens team coming off their bye week looking to rebound after a disappointing performance against Buffalo. The Ravens didn’t lose the game, but had to eke out a win against a winless team on a questionable Ray Lewis strip in overtime. Looking at Miami you begin to wonder how they’ve won 4 games. They don’t stand out in any one area, they’re normally a dominant running team but this year they’re mediocre being ranked 16^th. Miami is average in pretty much every aspect of the game and I don’t see that being enough to beat a pretty game Baltimore trying to respond after a poor performance.

Baltimore 17

Miami 10

Chicago @ Buffalo

Chicago -3

Looking at the way Da Bears have played these past few weeks I would say that Buffalo is coming into this game looking like the better team. It’s never a good sign when you’re playing an 0-7 team and people like me think you’re not as good as they are. With all that said and as “feisty” as the Bills have been they still haven’t won a game. Chicago’s had a bye week to try to regain some of their early season offensive Mojo, try to get Matt Forte back involved in their offense and teach Jay Cutler that he wants to not throw it to the guys on the other team.  The thing that sucks about this game for the Bills is that it counts as a home game but it’s played in Toronto Canada yet counts as a home game for them. I think the Bears win this game just based on the fact I don’t think Jay Cutler can once again throw 4 interceptions……or at least not throw them all to the same guy. Wait what I'm saying its Jay Cutler. Bills get their first win.

Bills 23

Bears 17

New Orleans @ Carolina

New Orleans -6.5

"All Madden" Get it?? Geez I'm clever

Every time I think New Orleans will finally be exposed they come out with an impressive victory, this time Drew Brees went All Madden in the second half against the Steelers completing 20 of 22 passes to lead the Saints to victory. Carolina finally got their first win against San Francisco 2 weeks ago only to lose against a pretty good Rams team last week. The Panthers however played the Saints really close in a game in the superdome in week 4 only losing 14-16, so the question is can they build on that close game for a win in week 9. I have to say no, the Panthers are about to            re-replace their starting QB with their backup QB in week 10. That’s not the mark of a team searching for answers that’s the mark of a team blindly flailing trying to hit anything in the dark. Combine that with another game missed by DeAngelo Williams and the Saints get two wins straight.

Saints 27

Panthers 13

New England @ Cleveland

New England -4 ½

Just admire those locks in silence

Is this the best team in the AFC? The pats stand above everyone else as the only one loss team left in the NFL. The Pats only loss being to a pretty good Jets team on the road in week 2, and now they head out on the road once again to play a Browns team that gives everyone a battle. Cleveland just had their bye week following their upset of the Champs in New Orleans. The Patriots really seem to have reclaimed the identity of the championship years with Tom Brady at the center surrounded by a number of unsung players who he will get the most from. One of those players is Danny Woodhead a guy who you would think belongs in the stands upon first look. He has been a Swiss army knife for the Patriots doing pretty much everything they could ask of him and sort of replacing the very important Kevin Faulk. Even though the Browns make me nervous, especially with Eric Mangini having 2 weeks to prepare for a Patriots team he absolutely hates I’m still taking Tom Brady and his beautiful hair.

Patriots 20

Browns 13

New York Jets @ Detroit

Jets -4

Boy o boy did the Jets lay an egg last week on the offensive end. If you’re the Jets defense and you hold the Packers to 9 points you have to think that you’re going to win that game.  Mark Sanchez seems to have lost all of the good will that he built up in the first 5 or 6 weeks of the year with his past 3 performances, where’s he combined for 4 interceptions and only 1 touchdown. The Lions have had 3 straight solid performances, a 44-6 win against the Rams, a close 28-20 loss to the giants, and a 37-25 win against Washington. Ndamukong Suh has been playing like a man possessed, and leading a good Lions defensive line along with Kyle Vanden Bosch. You combine that with Matthew Stafford coming back and looking great throwing for 4 touchdown passes and I like the Lions in an upset at home.

Lions 17

Jets 14

San Diego @ Houston

San Diego -3

The Chargers are like Frankenstein or Dracula or perhaps even Blackula, they just refuse to die. Every time you think they’re going to finally die they win a game you don’t think they’ll win and you look at the schedule and realize they could still end up 10-6. Houston on the other hand is officially back in the middle of the road. Early in the year it looked like they’d finally taken the next step from the perennial 8-8 team to a playoff contender, and while looks can be deceiving the sure look like an 8-8 team now. Now is around the time when the Chargers string off 6 or 7 wins straight and get the whole league scared of all their talent again, and I thought this year wouldn’t be the time they do it but then I look at the schedule after this Houston game its Denver at home, Colts on the road, Oakland, Kansas City, and San Francisco at home, followed by Cincinnati and Denver on the road. I could easily see them winning 6 of those 7 games. First things first though they need to beat the Texans on the road where they have continually looked terrible all year. I’ll just leave it at this, Phillip Rivers vs. the 31^st ranked pass defense in the NFL. I’ll take Rivers

Chargers 38

Texans 27

Arizona @ Minnesota

Minnesota -8

This is a battle of really bad teams; the Cardinals at least have played well at home in a few games while the Vikings have been bad pretty much everywhere. Brett Favre plays on basically a broken ankle and ends up leaving not because of the ankle but because he busts his chin open on a hard hit late in the game.  I still can’t get over the fact I ever thought the Cowboys or the Vikings could make it to the super bowl, their coach are Brad “to catch a predator” Childress and Wade “Teddy Bear” Phillips.  But this week isn’t about making the super bowl it’s about beating a Cardinals team that’s terrible on the road and I think the Vikings are good enough to do that.

Vikings 20

Cardinals 9

N.Y. Giants @ Seattle

N.Y. Giants -7

Seattle was the latest victim of the runaway Oakland Raiders freight train to the tune of 33-3. That seems to be par the course for the Seahawks; once you get them away from Quest field they seem to be easy pickings for pretty much any competent team. However this week they’re not away from Quest field they’re back home, but they’re playing more than a competent team, they’re playing the best team in the NFC the Giants. I think the Seahawks run defense was exposed last week against the Raiders and I think the Giants continue the trend pounding them on the ground with a combination of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.

Giants 24

Seahawks 17

Kansas City @ Oakland

Oakland -1

When we look back at this season will this be the game when the west was won….. The AFC west that is. I don’t know that but I do know that both of these teams can run the football against pretty much anyone when healthy. You combine that with a rainy day and it seems the perfect formula for a tough grind it out game between AFC west rivals. The Chiefs are 5-2 with the number one rushing offense in the league and the most explosive running back this side of Chris Johnson in Jamal Charles. If there’s one thing the Raiders love to do it's give up big runs they’ve given up the most 20+ and 40+ runs this season. On the other side of the ball Kansas City struggles defending the Air and Jason Campbell has put up 500 yards 4 touchdowns and no interceptions in the past week. However the Raiders will be without their top wide out In Louis Murphy and might be without their best pass catcher in Zach Miller. That combined with a gimpy Nnamdi Asomugha probably sitting on the bench make it a much tougher matchup for the Raiders. But I just can’t pick against a team at home with their first sellout in over a year, especially after they won the past two games 92-17.

Raiders 20

Kansas City 17

Indianapolis @ Philadelphia

Eagles -3

Laser Rocket Arm

This just in, Peyton Manning doesn’t care who he plays with they will play well because he’s Peyton Manning damn it. No excuses. I have a 5’8 Mike Hart at running back that has 70 yards coming into this year? He’ll get 84 in the game. I lose arguably the best tight end in the game Dallas Clark? I replace him with Jacob Tamme who has 6 career catches and get him 6 in the game.  It doesn’t matter who Peyton Manning plays with he’s still Peyton Manning. He may already have 4 MVP’s but he’s just as deserving to win it again this year. The Eagles finally get Michael Vick back after 3 games and a bye week a middle of the road colt’s defense that struggles against the run. However the one thing the Colts can do is rush the passer and Michael Vick seems to get hit more than any other QB. The difference is with the Colts those sacks just aren’t sacks, they’re sack fumbles and I think the Colts ultimately use those to win the turnover battle and the game.

Colts 27

Eagles 20

Dallas @ Green Bay

Green Bay -7

Aaron Rodgers finally gave Brett Favre his come uppins on behalf of the Packers and the city of Green Bay. Now that’s he’s slayed one proverbial Dragon it’s time for a rest as the packers go into the bye week…..oh what’s that it’s not their bye week? Oh sorry they’re playing the Cowboys; I tend to confuse that and a bye week. So How bout them cowboys? Worst team in the league? Perhaps, especially after getting pounded by a mediocre at best Jaguars team. Since Tony Romo went down a team I didn’t think could play much worse has absolutely called it quits on this season on defense. Doing that against Aaron Rodgers is a recipe for disaster.

Packers 27

Dallas 10

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

Pittsburgh – 4 ½

This game is Cincinnati’s season more or less; they’re currently 2-5 and 4^th in the division.  A win here would put them at 3-5, but 2-1 in their division so there would still be hope but a loss puts them at 2-6 with a game against the Steelers on the road looming. As far as the Steelers go they lost last week to a surprisingly game Saints team lead by a rejuvenated Drew Brees. I think there’s not a lot to garner from that game, sometimes good teams lose and I still think the Steelers are a good team. However if you get the ball on the 1 inch line and can’t punch it in with 3 tries perhaps you’re not playing the tough hardnosed Steeler brand football that we’ve come to expect. That won’t hurt them this week however.

Steelers 23

Cincinnati 13