Due to circumstances completely beyond my control, this column is a tad late this week. My wife really hammered me on picks. Anyway Week 4, yay! The real referees are back. Wait, is the honeymoon over already? Did the NFL sneak a replacement crew into the Green Bay game? Why are the Cardinals 4-0?
The Great Brain Robbery Pt. II – It was a pleasant experience to see the regular officials back on the job. For the most part games ran more smoothly. There weren’t any five minute conferences over where to spot the ball. The honeymoon was short-lived as crews that were given standing ovations were booed the first time they called a penalty against the home team. While they were a little rusty and made some bad calls and non-calls, none really affected the game with the exception of the fumble that wasn’t in Green Bay. For the second week in a row the Packers got robbed by the officials on national television, only this time it didn’t cost them the game. Anyone could have seen that was a fumble, Green Bay recovers there and the game is over. Expect another half-assed apology from Goodell, who will be too busy trying to reach the summit of cash mountain.
Undefeated – I think looking at the schedule you would have given the Falcons and Texans a better than even chance of going undefeated. They are both good teams and have beaten other good teams. The Cardinals are the surprise no one saw coming despite the fact they are now something stupid like 11-2 in their last 13 games. They win because they are 4th in the NFL in points allowed. Of the top 5 defenses in points allowed, 4 of them are in the NFC.
The Other Contenders – 3-1 teams like the Bears/Vikings and Bengals/Ravens are in for long hard fights. The 49ers are looking up at the Cardinals and wondering what happened. The Chargers face the inevitable late season losing streak and Philadelphia is feeling pretty good about itself.
Trainwreck TV – Two teams are currently in the midst of a complete meltdown. The Jets just got SMOKED at home by the 49ers and the Saints are now 0-4. Drew Brees has the most total yards in passing in the NFL, but his team can’t win because the defense is terrible. Also his accuracy is under 60%. Sanchez is just awful. He is the 30th rated passer in the NFL. The cries for Tebow Time are starting to grow and Sanchez is just going to get worse. I think I said by game 6 Tebow would be starting. Tebow doesn’t play defense though and the Jets are hurting without Revis.
Peyton Manning, Beast Mode – Manning picked apart a depleted Oakland defense in an attempt to dispel critics’ notions that he can’t throw the deep ball. It’s true most of his passes are short (but he completes them) and he has guys who are good at running after the catch. Manning was never known for his cannon arm. He’s the smartest quarterback in the NFL, not the strongest. Manning was a big reason I won my fantasy match-up.
High Expectations, Low Payout – The Bills had high hopes coming into the season, especially with big free agent Mario Williams signing. The Bills don’t seem much improved on defense while Houston is the top-ranked defense in the league. Maybe the Texans knew Mario wasn’t as good as his numbers suggested because they appear to be fine without him. The Cowboys continue to play the most annoyingly inconsistent football in the league. Great one week, crappy the next. They beat secretly bad Giants and Bucs teams only to lose to secretly good Seahawks and Bears.
Eliminated from the Playoffs – If you are 1-3 or worse you probably are not going to the playoffs. So preseason favorite Lions are virtually eliminated. The other 1-3 and 0-4 teams are ones that were expected. Some would argue that the Saints weren’t expected, but I told you this season could go two ways: this is the sucky way, a 2-14 record. Think of your high draft pick next year.
Rookie of the Year – RGIII is making a strong case for Rookie of the Year. He is the 4th rated passer in the NFL, while the other rookie QBs have fallen to the bottom of the league. Sometimes a quarterback and a head coach just go together. Brady/Belichick, Brees/Payton, Reid/McNabb… these are combos that just clicked. The coach understands the strength of his quarterback and designs the system around him. In RGIII, Shanahan has found another Elway. He can win with a guy like Elway, and this is the quarterback he has been looking for since John retired. If the draft order had been different, I don’t think either Luck or RGIII would reach success in other systems.
What to watch this week – Falcons at Redskins could be entertaining, as I think the Falcons could lose this one. Eagles at Steelers will be a good chance to find out if Micheal Vick is going to resort to his turnover ways. Denver at New England is a renewal of the Manning/Belichick rivalry. I like that they are having trouble on the offensive line because Denver has some dangerous pass rushers and Brady hates getting hit. The Texans at Jets is a Monday night must-see event. If Sanchez plays poorly, the crowd could start chanting for Tebow before halftime. The Texans are a good team, so the Jets are going to drop another one at home.
Weekly Pick (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week – Dallas, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Oakland
Mr Ross
Cardinals over RAMS, BENGALS over Dolphins, Ravens over CHIEFS, REDSKINS over Falcons, GIANTS over Browns, Eagles over STEELERS, PANTHERS over Seahawks, Bears over JAGUARS, VIKINGS over Titans, Broncos over PATRIOTS, 49ERS over Bills, Chargers over SAINTS, Texans over JETS.
Last week 9-6
Total 36-27
Mrs Ross
Cardinals, Dolphins, Chiefs, Falcons, Giants, Steelers, Panthers, Bears, Vikings, Broncos, 49ers, Chargers, Texans
Last Week 12-3
Total 37-26
