The Crystal Ball 2009 Week 11

What happened in Indianapolis last week? I heard something about a bad call, but there’s been hardly any post game press I haven’t been able to get a clear understanding. Could someone let me know, I’m curious.

Opening Kickoff

If you want to be considered a top team, you must dominate week in and week out. You cannot take a week off nor have intermittent performances. Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, New England and Carolina all had opportunities in the last week to throw a definitive gauntlet down and state, come and get some. All failed miserably. If you cannot deliver against other prominent teams, you are not top tier, but mid round playoff cannon fodder.

We’re headed toward a final championship round of Indianapolis and either Minnesota or New Orleans as things stand. And unless one of the teasing teams from above step up and assert themselves, be prepared for more Favre/Brees/Manning hype than you ever thought possible.

The Way It Was

The Broncos are not so much falling back to earth as rocketing at break neck speed.

And I hate to say it, but no Neck Beard, big problem.

The same goes for Atlanta without Michael Turner.

Jets, you are officially dead to me. You cannot beat an opponent, at home, after a week of rest?

How about Maurice Jones-Drew taking a knee instead of scoring a touchdown? Brilliant football strategy move, extremely smart, the coaches get gold stars for being very aware of clock management, the Jets time out situation and dictating how the end game would play out. Color me impressed. Andy Reid, for the sake of Eagles fans everywhere please take notes.

And I’ll go one step further, anyone who argues differently, and there has been a few prominent people blathering on about it, either doesn’t know football strategy or is a cheesed off fantasy owner, period.

I might have to rethink my opinion on the Jaguars. It might be time to give them a chance.

How come Saints had so many fits from rams? I guess it is hard to win every week. Yet, here they are winning every week.

It has been decided. The official results are in, and the winner of the overrated coach underachieving with a good team bowl is Andy Reid. Andy, have a cheese steak and if it doesn’t give you a cardiac infarction, a victory lap.

Down by 14 on the road in the second quarter with 4^th and goal on the 1, Andy Reid of course girds his loins, let’s the ice water flow through his veins and…..kicks the field goal! At the very least, Reid is consistent. But once again Andy, in case you missed it, you do NOT win games settling for field goals.

A note the other team from Pennsylvania should take well to heart, me thinks.

Brian Westbrook came back last week and promptly suffered another concussion. Eagles, for his sake please sit him for the remainder of the season. He’s not healed and you’re piling damage on damage. Did no one read last week’s column?

Shockingly, the Chargers have overcome their annual early season swoon to charge into a tie for the division lead, which was once thought insurmountable. I cannot wait for their annual playoff collapse as well.

Boy, it just seems like the Cardinals want to screw the home fans, no?

Roy Williams, a few notes. Number one receivers do not drop first down catches, nor do they fumble balls on the way to the end zone. You want to be considered better than Austin, make the plays your position as “number one” dictates.

Yeah, the Cowboys losing Marc Columbo to a broken fibula hurts. But as saying goes, the standard is the standard, and the Cowboys seem allergic to that.

The Emperor, I mean Bill Belichick, has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come. You know what, I think if people hadn’t suffered for years from Belichick’s surly, superior attitude he would not have received near the flack for his 4^th and 2 call as he did. Actually I think there are still people complaining about it right now.

The best part of this play call has yet to come. We’ll see it the next time Belichick calls to go for it on fourth down and every Patriot fan tenses up and prepares to vomit and if the Pats should not convert, go into raving hysterics over it. Now that will be high comedy.

Brady Quinn knocked Terrell Suggs out of game with a low hit after an interception, drawing the ire of Ray Lewis. Quinn just cannot do anything right.

Ravens safety Haruki Nakamura broke ankle on opening kickoff and was lost for the game and season. Amazingly, this team that went to the AFC Championship game last year is looking even worse especially once you factor in they had a terrible first half and barely pulled it together for a 16-0 win. Hey Baltimore, this is Cleveland, not Cincinnati you dopes.

The Steel Pit

Didn’t I bust the Eagles chops last week for losing at home against a division opponent with the division lead on the line? Yes I did. Well, welcome to the personally painful sequel.

Steelers 12 – Bungles 18

Ok, so what happened? They had moments where they looked alright. Who should hang their head in shame? Let’s roll through the suspects.

1) The Defense – nope, sorry but they’re off the hook on this one. They held a very good offensive team to 12 total points, none of them touchdowns. And they did it without the services of Troy Polamalu while knocking Cedric Benson out of the game. The defense did fine. Although Timmons had best get some speed, I’m ready to see Keyaron Fox more often playing inside linebacker.

2) The offense – They did not look good, no doubt. But they did have some success moving the ball. Everything went out the window when they hit the red zone. I would not blame them for the loss, but they didn’t help.

3) Big Ben – Let’s face it, Roethlisberger had a bad day. His passes either sailed high or fell short, he looked uncomfortable in the pocket all day and never quite found a rhythm with his receivers. But every once in a while even the great ones put up a stinker and I’d rather have Roethlisberger and the occasional bad day than anyone else.

4) Bruce Arians – My biggest problems with Arians were giving up on the run too early, he only called 16 total running plays, and his bad management of the last drive. I understood time was of the essence on the final drive, but he didn't need to go for big home run plays on both 2nd and 3rd down. He had enough time to just keep the ball moving. Yes, 10 yard gains in the middle of the field will not work when ultimately the end zone is required, but if you chip away a bit and keep the chains moving, going for the home run ball is much easier from the opponents 25 than your own 33. Still the onus of defeat is not solely on Bruce.

5) Special Teams – Here you go. Sure, Jeff Reed made another pathetic tackle attempt, but if he has to keep trying to tackle the damage is already done. And yes, the Bungles seemed content to throw illegal blocks on every return, but still that is no excuse. The units allowed another return touchdown and constant good field position all day. Here’s your culprit.

This week Pittsburgh cut special teams stalwart Arnold Harrison who has been with the team through two Super Bowls. Will this fix the problem? No, but I believe it sends a message. No one is safe and everyone had best shape up fast. Let’s hope it works.

But I think this week is a good one for Steeler fans to sit back, relax, take a very deep breath and let it go. Look, so far the team is doing relatively well despite injuries and not having found a true identity offensively. And most likely will end up having a good season and still make the playoffs. At minimum, the Super Bowl title defense is going much better than it did in 2006, which goes a long way in my book. But just call us Steeler fans spoiled, because at this point we are accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and that lifestyle includes winning big and pounding on the Bungles. The latter has not happened this season.

The good news from the game is that Troy Polamalu had an MRI performed on his reinjured left knee, revealing a PCL strain and could be back in 2-3 weeks. Yeesh, I hope he doesn’t work his way around to the ACL. Good gravy why did I say that out loud? I will now tear mine with my bare hands to avoid a possible jinx.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Jon Gruden will be extending his stay on Monday Night Football, signing a new contract this week through 2011. I guess he found out what Bill Cowher did, it’s much more enjoyable to watch football and get paid for it, and far more enjoyable to make a mistake and not have an entire fan base give you a gypsy curse.

Opening the foray of coaching changes, and being in the first spot in the coaching carousel, the Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron. They promoted their defensive coordinator to interim head coach, I suppose because he was the only coach left.

In working hard to destroy what has been build, the Bungles signed ostracized running back Larry Johnson as a 4^th string insurance policy. Yeah right, like Johnson’s going to happily live with that status for long. I can’t wait for that cancer to destroy the locker room.

Mean Joe Greene and Tommy Okon received Clio awards for their famous 1979 Coca Cola commercial. Still is one of the greatest commercials ever.

Russell Crowe was in attendance of the Bungles/Steelers game Sunday, taking a break from the film he is working on in the Pittsburgh area. Unfortunately, he did not unleash hell on the Bungles. Maybe things would have gone better for the home team had he smacked Carson Palmer upside the head with a telephone.

Seminal rock band The Who was named the halftime act for Super Bowl 44. Ok, I get it commissioner Goodell you want to avoid the Jackson/Timberlake controversy. But come on, can we get anyone who has been relevant in the last 20 years at least?

Titans’ owner Bud Adams had a blast at the Monday night game against the Texans, happily flipping the bird to Buffalo fans in attendance. I don’t even have a joke. You stay classy there Tennessee.

Seahawks head coach Jim Mora Jr. submitted a list of complaints to the league’s officiating office about calls he felt were erroneous and the state of officiating during the Seahawks/Cardinals game. First complaint, the Seahawks coach sucks.

Message to Chiefs coach Todd Haley, quit being an ass. For yet another week, cameras caught Haley corn holing another player on the sidelines, this time Matt Cassel. And this was in a game Cassel played decently and the Chiefs won. Todd, just so you know eventually players tire of these shenanigans and quit on coaches who act like that, especially if they're not successful. We get it, you're in charge. Now move on butt bag.

Apparently, the NFL competition committee is big on expanding the schedule, and looks to be leaning on making the season 18 games long. Now, I want to know how this will work from an injury stand point. Right now during 16 game seasons, almost every team is reeling from serious season ending injuries, or multiple week injuries, of key players. Look at this short list I complied.

Troy Polamalu, Kyle Orton, Jordan Gross, Michael Turner , Cedric Benson, Brian Urlacher, Kris Jenkins, Chris Henry, Marc Columbo, Ronnie Brown, Brian Westbrook, Haruki Nakamura, Joshua Cribbs, Terrell Suggs.

That list was complied off the top of my head. It could be 4 times as long. Take a gander through each team’s injury report and get a real idea of hurt players. What will happen when players must go longer, harder and open themselves up for more risk? And do you honestly think players, even if they take on the added risk of injury, players will be satisfied with their current contracts? Oh no, they’ll want more money per season to cover the added risk, which will cheese the owners off to not only have to shell out more money per player, but also eventually more money overall to cover depth needed when players go down from injury, and count on it they will. All this perceived extra profit owners think they’ll make will be tied up in additional salary and potentially lose them money. If you ask me, all this has the potential to do is get players injured, shorten careers, and create a scenario when we see a bunch of practice squad guys playing vital roles in big games because the bench is littered with injured stars. The NFL wants to protect the shield, but how is that possible by further diluting the product?

The NFL popped Chad Ochocinco with a $20,000 fine for his faux bribe of an official. Ok, I get it; they do not want any kind of association with gambling. But does it not seem odd they would smack Chad with that large a fine and only hit up Tommie Harris $7,500 for punching a guy in the head?

In The Merry Old Land Of Oz

Once again, love watching my team go without a point for hours on end. Mercifully, I got to watch my opponent do exactly the same thing.

But hey, I cannot complain too much, I’m on a three week roll, have reached the wonderful .500 mark and climbing the rankings. And most importantly, I learned something new to impart this week.

The fantasy football experts who give advice on who to start and who to sit know jack squat. I know, big surprise, and I pretty much figured that one out already. But it came into sharp focus when I went to pick my kicker last week. I went with Jeff Reed, even though the experts were saying he’s no better than a spot fill in during bye weeks. What happened was 12 big points from the partying one. So the next week, the expert advice said Jeff should continue to be considered a number one fantasy option. Huh? Amazing how that status can change so rapidly.

I say ignore them and go with your own instincts. If you know football, you’ll be fine. If you’re playing because you’re in some goofy office pool, well then I suppose you can consult the experts and hope for the best. Hey, chances are everyone else in the pool will be too.

Upon Further Review

In case you missed it, and I suppose the only way that’s possible was if you were in a sensory deprivation chamber all week, Bill Belichick went for it on 4^th down and failed, leading to a painful loss at Indianapolis. The sports world was on fire this week, lambasting Belichick for making the call and losing the game. I’ve heard great argument for and against the call from Gregg Easterbrook and Bill Simmons, and feel they both have valid points. I loved the call, but not the play called itself. I think coaches should be gutsier when it comes to calling plays, but too many are too scared of getting raked over the coals if it doesn’t work. And considering how badly Belichick was, too many will be too afraid to do it again.

Not every call is going to work, whether it’s a first down run at the beginning of September or a 2 point conversion to tie the super bowl in the waning minutes. But it takes a bit of fortitude to not only take the risk, but to stand tall before the man if it does not. Was going for it right? Who knows? Maybe Manning would have marched right down the field for 80 yards and the game winner. Maybe the tired Patriot defense would have held. Maybe aliens would have come and took Peyton back to his home planet. Maybe Jim Caldwell would have moved a muscle. It’s easy to second guess, but hard to take a chance and then withstand the fury if you fail. That’s why I liked the call.

On top of liking the call for its gutsiness, I loved it more because it gave me the chance to watch Belichick twist in the wind. Just hilarious, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer jerk. I mean, if your loyal lieutenants (namely Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi) are more than happy to grab a torch and head to the windmill, what does that say about the man himself?

But one three things really bothered me in the multitude of hot air expended on this topic all week.

One, the same people that filled the world with self righteous babbling and empty column space deriding the call would have fallen all over themselves proclaiming Belichick a genius and anointing him the greatest coach who ever lived if it had worked. You don’t believe me, look at how they lauded him in 2007, the screw the league season.

Two speaking of which, I’ve heard far too many people state with shocked incredulity how this call smacked of ego, arrogance, hubris and showed that Belichick does think he’s smarter than everyone else. Well duh! Is this your first Patriots game in the last 10 years? The entire 2007 was nothing but arrogance and ego. You think Belichick corn holed Joe Gibbs’ Redskins because he thought they might come back, or did he do it because he wanted to stick it to the Hall of Famer to prove a point?

And three, the national media spent an inordinate amount of time vilifying Belichick for this play call and yet said almost nothing about Browns head coach Eric Mangini’s end of the game hook and ladder call.

Cleveland Brown Joshua Cribbs, the only indispensable player on that team, was hurt badly at the end of Monday’s game on this play. Cribbs was carried off the field on a back board, but mercifully was fine and will even play this week.

But I must ask why in an unwinnable situation was this play ever called? There was no need for it since even if Cleveland scored; there was no chance to win. Even if the unlikely would have occurred and the Browns scored, it would have only reduced the margin of defeat by 7 points. There was absolutely no need for such chicanery. The only reason for this play, which only resulted in your best, and only good, player getting potentially grievously hurt, was to avoid the shut out and not have that on Mangini’s resume for his end of the season review.

Everyone has been happy calling Belichick’s call as a blunder, boneheaded even the worst call ever, yet nary a peep has been made about Mangini’s call, one obviously made only to make the coach look marginally better, although at this point I strain to see how that is even possible. This is far worse than Belichick’s, as while Bill’s play call may have come from hubris and ego at least he did it in a fleeting attempt to try a strategy that would give his team the win. Eric’s play call came finding a way to save his own fat can, and a willingness to risk the safety and well being of his players for no other reason.

I say shame on the national sports media for focusing on Belichick’s call and not jumping up and down on Mangini for this completely unnecessary and dangerous call. If you can get worked up into lather about Belichick going for the throat, and not Mangini trying to avoid the unemployment line then for shame and perhaps you need to reexamine why you cover the NFL, what you know about football and how you live your life because if you spend that much time getting upset about a 4^th down call to win and not a meaningless play that put people in danger, you’re priorities are out of whack.

He Said He Said

“I don't want to give anybody bulletin board material, but I do believe it was [former NFL head coach Herman Edwards]: We play to win the game. Period. So, we're going on the road to play a football game, and we're gonna win. I don't care what you say. People can print in the paper, they can send it to the team's we're playing. But they know just like we know, we're going to win the game.” - Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson

That is mighty big talk from a man who did not have one single catch, nor did his team win. How come I didn’t know about this? If I did, I would have horribly avoided starting him in fantasy. Obviously, he jinxed his team.

"Offensively, we...we...I played bad." – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

Well, yeah. Thanks for owning up to it big guy, just don’t do it again.

"All in all, I hated the call. It smacked of I'm-smarter-than-they-are hubris." SI.com’s Peter King on Belichick’s 4^th and 2 play call

You’re dead on balls accurate Peter. But one question for you, have you not seen a Belichick coached team before? Heck the entire 2007 season was I’m smarter than everyone hubris.

"She always took care of us. She was a second mom to a lot of guys.'' – Bengals cornerback Jonathan Joseph on Vikki Zimmer, wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer who passed away suddenly in October

Finding motivation for men who get highly paid is always difficult. But when a close knit group of guys lose someone close to them like Vikki, feel that pain and see how much it hurts Mike, they’ll move heaven and earth for their coach. And so far, they have.

"Cincinnati out-defensed Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh.'' – NBC’s Tony Dungy

And to think I thought I was finished throwing up for the week.

"I love the way Al [Davis] runs the team. People give Al a lot of grief, but Al is an old AFL guy. The NFL tried to bury the AFL for years, and finally when the AFL caught up and was about to pass these guys, a couple of owners took the league and tried to merge behind Al's back. So he has been an outlaw ever since. He is going to do it his way; he has won three championships his way, and I love how the Raiders are run.''- Rapper Ice Cube, who is making a film about the Raiders

Let me guess, the film’s called Tales from the Crypt: The Crypt Keeper takes a cruise on the Titanic.

"I thought we could get the 2 yards." – Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

And you were wrong.

“Bill Belichick is, maybe, the best coach ever in the NFL. In fact, currently, I'm not even sure there's a close second.” – ESPN’s David Fleming

Uhhh, really David? Let’s see, Belichick built a team that won three Super Bowls, the same as Bill Walsh (who’s handiwork also led to two more Super Bowls) and Joe Gibbs, only one more Super Bowl win than his mentor Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Vince Lombardi (who won multiple NFL championships on top of the Super Bowls, the same as Paul Brown) and Don Shula. But it’s still one less trophy than acquired by Chuck Noll. Perhaps any of those gentlemen would prefer to argue your point on the best coach ever.

Idiot of the week

Stupid abounded from all angles this week. But there is only one pure idiot, and after he raised his dumb guy flag, I knew this week’s battle for this coveted award was over.

Perhaps it’s just me, but lately it seems much discussion in this space is reserved for guys making dirty hits after the play. Much like I railed on Tommie Harris last week for punching a cat after the play, we now bestow the dishonor of idiot upon yet another player throwing a punch, Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison.

By the point in the Sunday’s game James lost his cool, the Bungles needed no additional help. While their offense was not exactly lighting the world on fire, they were moving the ball and converting third downs to keep their drive alive. And yet there was Harrison being the good division neighbor and giving the Bungles 15 yards and a fresh set of downs plus allowing Cincinnati to continue their final drive and wick yet more precious time off the clock. I know Harrison plays angry and you want a certain level of that from your defensive personnel. But more than anything you want your players to play smart, and punching a guy after the play in front of officials is far from smart.

"I didn't care nothing about that at the time" - Harrison on the punch and the possible consequences

Well James you should have. No man is above the team and James certainly acted like that. Yeah, it's frustrating to get beat physically as the Bungles did to the Steelers all the live long day. Yeah, that guy shouldn't have shoved Harrison after the play. But punching him in the head in retaliation never helps. If you want to stop that behavior from your opponent you gird up, man up, and whip his fanny on the next play. Get him back by making him look like a chump, instead of being suckered into being his fool. And like Harris last week, Harrison should have been booted from the game. Why he was not I do not know, but the crimes were the same and so should have been the punishment.

So, for committing a spectacularly dumb penalty at a critical moment, allowing the opposition’s offense to stay on the field and ultimately score again, which drastically changed the end game, not thinking of consequences of your actions and letting someone get the best of you whilst you focused on some personal affront instead of your team’s chances at victory by punching a dude in the head, an infantile reaction at best and criminal at worst, James Harrison you are an idiot.

Taking the Week Off

With the conclusion of bye weeks last week, this beloved feature shutters its doors for another season. But fear not faithful fan, very soon 24 teams will be taking every week off, and you can enjoy their off season antics until the humid days of summer are upon us once again. Until then, let’s play ball.

On Tap This Week

I pushed the envelope too far. Just call me Icarus. I’m still having trouble believing I backed Andy Reid on the road, but what was I to do? He was going against Norv Turner. I love that I took a chance on KC that paid off greatly, but every team that should have won, well, were real happy to just show me how well they poop.

Last week: 8-7

This week:

Season to date: 100-44

Whatever touch I had during the first half of the season has left me strung up and naked. And it’s getting cold. My 3 point lead from Thursday night is gone and has become a 2 point deficit. And now I’m fighting to reclaim my top spot.

The real shame was I felt good about my picks. At least it was not a losing record for the week. Whoops, there’s the jinx for this week! Oh well, nothing left to do but get up, dust myself off and go after it again.

Sunday

Pittsburgh (6-3) at Kansas City (2-7)

You think Big Ben will take his frustrating day last week out on KC? Yeah, me too.

Steelers over Chiefs

Indianapolis (9-0) at Baltimore (5-4)

Shame on me for doubting Peyton. I know, it looked like I might have made the right call for a while, but I forgot one tiny factoid. Indianapolis has won 6 of 7 against the Patriots including last Sunday. Dumb. But I will not make that mistake again.

Colts over Ravens

Atlanta (5-4) at New York Giants (5-4)

Atlanta on the road, reeling and without Michael Turner against a rested New York squad who has been working tirelessly to stop the bleeding and getting desperate. Yeah, not feeling comfortable with that scenario.

Giants over Falcons

New Orleans (9-0) at Tampa Bay (1-8)

I’m not getting off this train to the Big Easy, not once until we hit Mardi gras.

Saints over Buccaneers

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

Ok, who’s left to steer the Buffalo ship? I say promote TO, or at least let him self promote, it’s all they have left.

Jaguars over Bills

Cleveland (1-8) at Detroit (1-8)

Ugh.

Lions over Browns

Washington (3-6) at Dallas (6-3)

Unless Washington can knock Romo out of this game, what hope do they have?

Cowboys over Redskins

Seattle (3-6) at Minnesota (8-1)

Please.

Vikings over Seahawks

San Francisco (4-5) at Green Bay (5-4)

Well, I suppose I should not give up entirely on the Pack just yet. But can Aaron Rodgers avoid the rush again this week long enough for some magic?

Packers over 49ers

Arizona (6-3) at St. Louis (1-8)

A good potential upset, since St. Louis did give the Saints a few fits last week. But I’ll take the Cardinals, for no other reason than they should win.

Cardinals over Rams

New York Jets (4-5) at New England (6-3)

The Jets are dead to me. I do not care what they do to this point. They could fall off a cliff and I shed not tear one for them. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but come now. There is talent all over that team. And if everyone from the head coach down loves to have their mouths write checks, their fannies had best be able to cash them.

Patriots over Jets

Cincinnati (7-2) at Oakland (2-7)

Well, the Raiders have benched JaMarcus Russell, potentially for the season. Not sure what good that will do now, or would have done in September. But hey, at least it gives the team a few paragraphs of press in a section other than the police blotter.

Bungles over Raiders

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

Ok, another week, another big game for division supremacy. Yawn it's getting boring I mean, what are we starting a playoff push or something? Ok, fine enough horsing around. What to do with this game. I suppose I’m a glutton for punishment. I’ll take Norv Turner on the road to win.

Chargers over Broncos

Philadelphia (5-4) at Chicago (4-5)

What am I supposed to do? Philadelphia is killing me, yet I know if I go against them, they’ll win. I should pick them just to jinx their terrible selves and hopefully get Andy Reid his much deserved pink slip. But backing Cutler? Ugh that’s even worse. I hate myself.

Eagles over Bears

Monday

Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-3)

Good pick for Monday Night ESPN. No wonder you’re ratings stink. Who’s watching this other than Bud Adams’ fingers?

Titans over Texans