FMQB

There’s a New CJ2K

And it’s not Chris Johnson. Take a look at Calvin Johnson’s numbers this year. I distinctly remember a month ago when he hadn’t even caught a TD from Stafford all year. But he now has 4 TD’s in his last 4 games. Even more surprisingly, he is already at 1428yds for the season with 4 games still to play! Jerry Rice’s all time record is definitely within reach now that he’s within 400+ yds. Not only this, he could easily be the first WR to rack up 2000 yards in a season. He needs to average 143 yards over his last 4 games to do it. Seems a bit out of reach until you look at his last 5 games, 171, 140, 143, 207, 129. That’s an average of 158 over that span.

Legatron:

Ram’s Kicker Greg Zeurlein missed a 58 yd FG on Sunday, which is 5 yds shy of the NFL record. No kidding, the ball was 20 feet above the crossbar when it crossed. Easily would have been good from 70! I’d be curious to see what his personal best is in practice, and don’t be surprised to see him demolish the record at somepoint in his career.

Referee Reviews:

So there’s a new trend going on in officiating, that I’m on the fence whether I like or not. New rules state that all turnovers and all scoring plays are reviewed without the need for a coach’s challenge. What I’ve been seeing is that on any “close” play, the refs call the extreme. Example, if somebody rolls into the endzone, they immediately call Touchdown because they know they can review it and overturn it if incorrect. If they make the correct call (when someone is down), it forces the coach to throw a challenge flag (which he may be out of). It would be interesting to see if the amount of officials’ reviews have gone up this year to prove this case. Yes, they’re getting the call right in the end, but what I hate about it is the fact that I have seen multiple instances where the refs call Fumbles or Touchdowns when it is obvious in real speed that it didn’t occur. Case in point, the Lions Texans game with the 80yd run after the guy was down. Refs should have blown it dead, but no whistle was blown because it would be a TD and forced to be reviewed. Of course we all know that this never happened…

Stat of the Week:

The Rams have a losing record, but are undefeated in their division (4-0-1)

Stat of the Week #2:

The 49ers are 8-2 against the NFL this year, but 0-1-1 against the Rams

Stat of the Week #3:

Both Jets and Cardinals QBs had a lower passer rating than if they would have thrown all incomplete passes

Stolen Stat of the Week #4:

For the 2^nd time this season, the Seahawks won a game decided by an official review on the final play

A little humor…

Would like to offer my congratulations to Christian Ponder on getting engaged this past week. He’s going to be the first person in history to have a wedding but no reception.

Maybe his new wife can help him expand his horizons, as there’s a rumor he only shops at Wal-Mart. That’s because he can’t find a Target.

Quote of the Week:

“RGIII is so talented, even his fumbles look good!” TMQ

Proof the “Heart” wins games:

The dreadful 1-9 Chiefs rallied around their team and their coach to steal a win last Sunday. For a team that had given up for the season, take a look at what happens when you try. Jonathan Baldwin and Tony Moeaki both caught their first TD passes of the season, and Peyton Hillis ran for his first TD run of the year. Proof that “heart” can actually win games. Also, kudos to Brady Quinn, his post-game press conference was actually surprisingly eloquent and well said.

Hollywood Moment:

Charlie Batch had a truly special moment on Sunday. The week before, he got his first start in 3 years, and as a washed up 37 year old 3^rd string QB, nobody was expecting much. He struggled mightily against a less than worthy opponent, throwing 3 INT’s against the Browns. Getting one more chance to prove himself, Batch brought it to the table. This time against division rival Baltimore, #2 in the conference, a must-win for the Steelers, on the road. Batch managed the game and put together the game winning drive against one of the better defenses in the league to pull out a win. It was touching to see Batch hugging Roethlisberger and Coach Tomlin after the game, ripped with emotion. Fun moment for us to see in sports.

Apologies to the FMQB fans, but I need to run another 2 for 1 special in honor of a Black Friday that I lounged around. Keep in mind that this goes 2 weeks back again. I should be on the ball the rest of the season and not have these late or double posts.

Well it was Thanksgiving week everybody, one of the more exciting times for football fans as it is socially acceptable to lounge around and watch 9 hours of football on Thursday, and then another slate of games on Sunday. Time to Break out the Turducken!

Streaky NFL: (before Thanksgiving)

A lot of streaks this year in the NFL, teams that started off hot are now out of the playoff race, teams that were disappointments are now right on the cusp. Take a look at some of these numbers.

Remember last year when Tampa Bay went 4-0, then lost their remaining 12? Well a similar output this year had them at 2-4 for a disappointing start, but they have now won 4 in a row.

Broncos had their killer first stretch and their ridiculously easy second stretch. At one point they were 2-3 and in the talks of the most disappointing team in the NFL, but with 5 wins in a row I’ve seen them at #1 in some power rankings.

The Saints were an abysmal 0-4 to start the year, then 1-5, but have won 4 in a row and are a game out of the playoffs. If they can somehow make the playoffs, that’s gotta be a first.

The Eagles were an impressive 3-1 to start the season, but have since lost 6 straight and talks of benching their $100M QB and firing the longest tenured coach in the NFL have changed from whispers to legit possibilities.

Very quietly, Green Bay has won 5 in a row. With their phantom win, they actually should be 8-2 and in the talks of #2 seed.

That’s Why they Play the Game:

Would just like to point out that the Jaguars had a very impressive outing on Sunday. Against a team they had no hope to beat, away game in Houston, and their starting QB taken out just minutes into the game. Very impressive by Chad Henne (who is now the starter for the year, convenient how Gabbert was placed on IR after that  performance…), and Justin Blackmon finally showing up for once and showing the type of WR he can be in the league.

Dallas:

Is anybody else super surprised that Dallas is only 1 game back from winning their division? They have mightily struggled against the Browns and Seattle, and have barely eeked out wins against Tampa Bay and Carolina. If they make the playoffs this year, they deserve it, as the back end of their schedule is tough.

Thought to Ponder:

If you say that Tebow is Terrible, is that considered blasphemy?

Stat of the Week #1:

2 of the top 5 rushers this year are rookies

Stat of the Week #2:

Justin Blackmon and Andre Johnson combined for 509 yards of offense

Stat of the Week #3:

San Francisco’s Aldon Smith already has 15 sacks for the season, on pace to break Strahan’s sack record of 22 ½ sacks

Back to Life, Back to Reality:

Alright we’re back to the most recent slate of games…Week 12 had another crazy slew of games, including an odd Thanksgiving. The Texans won because of a horrible non-call followed by a stupid rule regarding challenge flags. The Cowboys looked awful, came back, but not quite enough. And the Jets essentially had everybody shutting their TV’s off before halftime.

Stat of the Week #1:

The Patriots scored 3 TD’s in 52 seconds

Stat of the Week #2:

All 49 of the Patriots points came in 2 quarters, they were held scoreless in the 1^st and 3^rd quarter.

Stat of the Week #3:

The Texans played 2 overtime games in 5 days, essentially playing 10 quarters of football when everybody else played 8. Also, the teams they faced in OT were a combined 5-16.

Stat of the Week #4:

We’re into December, and the last Philadelphia team to win a game was the Phillies (who didn’t even make the playoffs).

Stat of the Week #5:

The power rankings always show the highest a team has been, and the lowest. The Eagles have a crazy spread, where they were ranked #1 and are now ranked #30!

Chargers are officially horrible:

The Chargers are literally 2 key moments in games away from being the #3 seed in the AFC. The first moment happened at halftime the first Broncos game, where they somehow blew a crazy lead. The second key moment happened this past Sunday. Trying to right the ship, the Chargers were doing a good job against a top 5 team in the Ravens. They had the Ravens at 4^th and 29 with under 2 minutes in the game to go. Sure, you play a prevent defense on this play (and they did a good job covering 4 guys with simple instructions to “run far.” But you need to keep a player or two right at the first down sticks so they can head off any play heading that direction. By the time Flacco had to dump it off to Ray Rice, he had 30 yards to run to make the first down, with 8 defenders back there to stop him. How do you let him go that far without even getting touched?!?! His blocking was even horrible, it was like returning a kick and having 2 guys block for you. That play right there officially deems the Chargers horrible.

A plea to the schedulers:

I’m getting sick of the way teams play division rivals in 2 out of 3 games, and to be honest I feel like it takes away from the competition of the game. There should be one divisional matchup in the first half of the season, and one towards the very end. The Steelers can pretty much completely attribute their missing the playoffs (because they will miss the playoffs) this year to the scheduling. They were forced to play their main divisional rival without their starting QB because he happened to have a 3 week injury where the Steelers played the Ravens twice during. The Vikings are also playing the Bears 2 out of 3 weeks. What happens if the Vikes play the Bears at the beginning of the year when they were hot, do they pull of a win? Nobody knows. Not taking into account the Giants of last year, playoff teams should be decided by those who consistently play strong all season, not just for 6 games.

Brees’ Streak:

Like to take a moment to remember Drew Brees’ amazing TD pass streak, as this will be the new Joe Dimaggio streak for football. He had 54 straight games with a TD pass, over 3 full seasons without missing a game. What’s impressive about this is the fact that one mistake or fluke game breaks the streak. One game where you have 40 yard passes that get down to the 2, and then you get 3 rushing TD’s to win the game instead. But no, Brees was so talented that he didn’t have any of these games until Thursday. In a previous post I listed the crazy hall of fame QB’s who couldn’t do this, but I’m going to predict that Brees holds this record for another 40 years, even in the new pass happy NFL.

Bye Bye Fireman Ed:

Fireman Ed, the most famous NFL fan, said that he is retiring his outfit for the Jets. He was always fun to see

Most Insensitive Quote of the Week:

It was tragic to hear about the Kansas City Chiefs player who killed his girlfriend, and then committed suicide in front of his coaches. But there were 2 Family Guy style, politically incorrect, and very insensitive comments that were too funny not to post.

“I’d do that too if I played for the Chiefs” Anonymous

“I hope it wasn’t Dwayne Bowe” Anonymous 2

“Why, cuz he’s on your fantasy team?” Anonymous

Smith vs Kaepernick

Controversy of the season this year is what the 49ers are seeing right now. It’s been discussed in and out, but I need to put my 2 cents in as well. First off, I’ll NEVER be on the Alex Smith bandwagon. I’ve seen him struggle too much the last 7 years. Yes, he’s turned it around these past 2 years, but his strength is his efficiency. He manages the game. He wins the field position battle, and the time of possession battle. But if you’re ever down by 14 and need a comeback, Smith isn’t going to be that guy. When we were at the game, Smith struggled mightily throwing 3 picks. The only time they could semi-drive the ball was when Kaepernick was in. That Monday night performance that Kaepernick had was incredible. In the battle of the backups, Colin looked like a 5 year starter, and this was against one of the best defenses in the league against the Bears! Only time will tell if Harbaugh is making the right choice, and it’s very difficult to bench a winning QB for the “hot hand,” but I think this is the best move for San Francisco.

Due to a crazy travel schedule, FMQB was unavailable last week. Call it my Bye week. But I’m back, in full force, and have a double-episode for all the readers! Week 9 and Week 10 bonanza! Keep in mind that some of this was written before Week 10, so view stats with a grain of salt. Speaking of a crazy travel schedule, in Week 9 the Steelers had a crazy itinerary. Due to Hurricane Sandy, lack of hotels and power forced the Steelers to actually stay in Pittsburgh on Saturday night and fly to New York early Sunday morning before game time. But the Steelers came and delivered while the Giants looked like the one with the crazy schedule. Very clutch.

Long ago, in a football game far far away…

Ok so this was technically 3 weeks ago, but I need to point out the amazing efficiency that Alex Smith had in Monday night’s game against the Cardinals. Most FMQB fans know that I’m not a fan of Alex Smith at all, but he was one attempt and completion away from an NFL record. Smith went 18 for 19, yielding a 95% accuracy rating. But the minimum pass attempts to be in the running for the record is 20, this is so the RB who throws one pass for a completion in a game doesn’t hold the record at 100%. But anywho, this was extremely impressive in a yawner of a game. Also equally impressive was Randy Moss’ TD catch and 40 yd run. He literally had the speed he did in 1999. It shows he still has what it takes, too bad he doesn’t try on every play…

Stat of the Week:

As of Week 9, Russell Wilson at home: 4-0, nine touchdowns, no interceptions. As of Week 10? 5-0, 11 TD’s, 0 INTs.

Weirdest Stat of the Year (before Week 10):

Calvin Johnson hasn’t caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford this season, through eight games. His one TD catch was from Shaun Hill.

Stat of the Week #2:

After Week 9, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning had each passed for 2,404 yds.

Stat of the Week #3:

In Week 9, Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill dropped back to pass 89 times and threw no interceptions

It’s Not Vick’s Fault:

Immediately after week 8, there was a huge controversy in Philly saying calling Andy Reid to bench Mike Vick, and Vick seemingly willing to admit defeat. Well I watched the game between the Saints and Eagles on Monday night, and let me tell ya, it’s not Vick’s fault. Their offensive line is atrocious. I wouldn’t doubt if there are some high school O-lines that are better than the Eagles right now. One play alone had 5 offensive lineman, and the Saints only rushing 3. Now in rare instances, you can get sacked with this, but it only comes in a “coverage sack” when the QB is back there for 7 seconds with nobody to throw to. But in this case, 5 guys blocking 3, one of the Saints lineman was on top of Vick in less than 2 seconds! The entire game, once the most elusive QB in the NFL was constantly pressured and not even given 3 seconds. All blame should be taken off Vick for their record this year.

Defensive Player of the Year:

The media has been swarming on Charles Tillman, and showcasing his remarkable ability to literally punch the ball out of the arms of the carrier. Well in Week 9 Tillman was at it again, in their beatdown of the Titans, Charles Tillman had a whopping 4 forced fumbles in one game! Hands down he will be the Defensive Player of the Year, and we still have 7 games left!

Has anybody seen Ed Hochuli?

When the regular refs came back, I was excited to see fan-favorite Ed Hochuli, but when I stopped to think about it, I don’t think I’ve seen him yet this year! According to FootballZebras.com, Ed Hochuli has indeed been in the lineup, but for some pretty crappy games. Bengals vs Jaguars in Week 4, he had Week 5 off, Steelers vs Titans in Week 6, Saints vs Buccaneers in Week 7, Panthers vs Bears in Week 8, and off in Week 9. So he’s apparently still employed for those of you who were worried like me…

***Back to Week 10***

Two major things happened in Week 10, the last undefeated team finally lost, and we saw the first tie in 4 years. Somehow the tie is getting much more attention than the Falcons Loss.

A Tie between Rivals

If there’s one person who hates the fact that you can Tie in the NFL, it’s me. It affects playoff matchups, there’s no other sport that allows ties (except soccer), and with the rules of the game favoring offense there’s no reason a team wouldn’t score quickly even if it went into double-OT. With the “better teams” QB already knocked out with a concussion, and the penalty ridden Rams weren’t going to do anything. The Rams had 2 game winning plays that got called back by penalties which was absolutely ridiculous! Especially the 80yd play to Amendola, which first off was called wrong, and second had absolutely nothing to do with the play. But whatever. Also, Jeff Fisher should have called a timeout on the FG instead of getting the delay of game. But, long story short, I was expecting a 35-3 game, so good job Rams!

C’mon Men:

Ok seriously, why is it that everytime there’s a tie, some stupid football player comes in and says “I didn’t know that we could tie.” Who DOESN’T know that?!?! Every NFL fan knows it, you play the game and still don’t know it? McNabb sounded like an absolute idiot when he said it last time, and apparently there were at least 4 players who didn’t know it on Sunday. C’mon Men

Stat of the Week

The Broncos D held the Panthers to 0% 3^rd down conversions.

Stolen Stat

The last 6 ties have all come in the month of November

Stat of the Week #2:

In the past 10 years, there have been only 3 ties. In the 80s, there were 10

Stat of the Week #3:

The Rams ran 2 successful fake punts on Sunday. Including one standing in their own endzone. Who does that?!?!

College Quote of the Week:

“I get paid to win football games” Tennessee Volunteers QB (keeping in mind that the NCAA has strict rules against college payments)

Political Quote of the Week:

“Isn’t it ironic that Peyton Manning threw his 420^th TD pass for a Colorado team 4 days after they legalized marijuana” Facebook

A little disappointed…

On my Bucket List is to see an NFL team go undefeated and win the Super Bowl (as long as it’s not the Patriots. Well the ’72 Dolphins can pop the champagne again as the Falcons became the last team to record a loss on Sunday. With a ridiculously easy schedule the rest of the year, the Saints were the only potential roadblock. Could easily see a 15-1 season yet, but will Matt Ryan finally win a playoff game? Only time will tell.

Non-football and Politically Incorrect Joke:

“I got kicked out of a bar when I went in and ordered a Hurricane Sandy” Bob

“What’s a Hurricane Sandy” Jim

“It’s just a watered down Manhattan” Bob

First, I have a disclaimer/complaint. I’ve mentioned before that as FMQB, I have the unique position of talking about the Week 4 games, plus one Week 5 game before anybody else can. But this is the 3^rd week in a row that the result of the Thursday Night Game has affected the stats I have already compiled. So here’s my disclaimer, if you ever see a stat involving a team that played on Thursday night, that stat WAS true after the first week, but since my column wasn’t intended to cover the new week, it may not be completely accurate anymore.

Anywhoos, back to football. We’re at the quarterpole of the season. Always an interesting barometer on how the season will go. Teams have been surprisingly good (Vikings, Rams, Chargers, Cardinals), surprisingly bad (Cowboys, Lions, Saints, Jets), and a few right where we thought they would be (49ers, Eagles, Falcons, Ravens, Texans). But keep in mind that there are still a lot of games to be played. Think back to last year, and the streaking hot Buccaneers were off to a 4-0 start. How’d that work out for them? Oh yeah, lost 12 in a row.

Stat of the Week #1:

The Patriots became the first team since 2008 to have two 100yd rushers and two 100yd receivers.

Stat of the Week #2:

Christian Ponder is the only starting quarterback that has not thrown an interception. The next fewest INTs? RGIII with only 1.

Stat of the Week #3:

Greg Zeurlein is the first kicker in NFL HISTORY to make 2 kicks of at least 58 yards in a game. He’s also perfect on his first 13 kicks, 8 of those from 46 yards and out. Looks like Leg-a-tron is here to stay! Oh, and he’s only played 5 games in his pro career.

Stat of the Week #4:

How important is the Quarterback position in this day and age? If you look at the top 14 QB’s in passer rating, each team they lead are at or above .500.

Stat of the Week #5:

The Cardinals and Vikings are a combined 7-1, the Saints and Lions are a combined 1-7.

Stat of the Week #6:

With the replacement refs back in, average game time immediately dropped by 8 minutes.

Stat of the Week #7:

The Rams haven’t been above .500 in nearly 6 years. Way to go!
If the Playoffs started Today:

Arizona and Houston would be the #1 seeds. Would anybody have expected that 3 years ago?

Surprisingly, the Jets would be in the playoffs.

Crazy Fantasy Turn of Events #1:

Not that anybody cares, but I went into Monday night ahead by 5 points, and my opponent had Michael Bush, RB for the Bears. With Forte out the previous 2 weeks and Questionable for this game, I knew I was screwed. But thankfully, Forte played and was a strong enough force for the Bears that they only got Bush involved on a few plays, netting him 1 fantasy point. Late in the 4^th quarter, the Bears were on the goal line and put Bush in, I thought for sure it was over. There was a holding call that backed them up 10 yds, whew. But then a pass to Marshall in the endzone was called a pass interference call, ball on 1 yd line! The Bears snap it and give it to Bush, but the play is blown dead. The Cowboys were able to challenge the play (new rule this year), since the ball was tipped. Play reversed, field goal, touchdown averted, matchup won!

Crazy Fantasy Turn of Events #2:

FFMQB recently got into Fantasy Football and has turned an 0-2 team into a 2-2 team. With all her players playing on Sunday afternoon, she had a hefty 50 point lead going against McCoy, Tony Romo, Brandon Marshall, and DeMarco Murray. This is right on the edge of being safe, her opponent would need a pretty strong game from all players to make up that gap. Of course, McCoy, Murray, and Marshall end up having outstanding games and the gap is dwindling. When Marshall scores the game sealing TD, it puts her opponent up by 1 pt, essentially losing the game for FFMQB. But all of a sudden Romo comes in and throws an INT with 4 minutes left in the game, knocking him back 2 points! Crazy turn of events ended up giving her the win 100-99.

Quote of the Week #1:

“Packer Nation Fell on the Sword to Protect the Shield” Packer fan…love this quote!

 Quote of the Week #2:

“Packer fans are wishing the replacement refs were back” Joe Buck after a blown fumble call

Should the Jets throw in Tebow over Sanchez?

Before the Jets panic, they have a very tough schedule to start out the year. And it doesn’t get easier with the Texans and Patriots the next two games, so it’s not all on Sanchez’ shoulders. But Tim Tebow has completed 100% of his passes, with 0 INT’s. Just saying…

Icing the Kicker Rant:

A new trend the last decade is for coaches to call a timeout right as the kicker is about to try a game winning FG. Conventional wisdom says that with more time to ponder the kick, the kicker will overthink it, or the pressure will hit him, and he will miss the kick. To be perfectly honest, I’m completely sick of this tactic. In week 2, Mike Shanahan (who basically invented this tactic) called a timeout at the end of the half. Greg the Leg went to miss his first kick, but got a second chance and nailed it (crucial in this close game). In week 3, same result. Joe Philbin called an icing timeout the instant before the snap, in which the Jets missed the field goal, but made the second try. Both teams lost by 3 points…What I don’t get is these coaches are basically telling the opposing kickers “I dare you to make this game winning field goal, but I’ll be nice and give you a practice shot first.” Kickers can get a feel for the wind, distance, and what the rush is going to be in a game situation. Why would you do this?!?! I can’t even count the number of times this happened last year. Adam Vinatieri came out and said that icing the kicker actually helps him calm down. I read one article (sorry don’t have exact stats) that showed that a kicker is 2% more likely to make a kick after an icing ploy. Andy Reid tried the same thing on Sunday night, and he was 1yd lucky that the Eagles didn’t lose because of it.

Sweet Drive of the Week #1:

Matt Ryan getting pinned at the 1 yd line with :59 seconds left, and actually driving the Falcons into FG range. You sir have ice water in your veins.

 Sweet Drive of the Week #2:

RGIII had a very nice 2-minute drill to win the game for the Redskins this week right after a Buccaneers score. Strong performance for the rookie.

Upset of the Week:

Look for the Titans and Hasselbeck to Shock the Vikings. Hasselbeck is a very underrated QB who took the Titans to a 9-7 record last year. Their defense is atrocious, but I expect the Titans to hang in there offensively.

It has been 12 days since our last arrest! Apparently the record is 33 days, that’s pretty pathetic.

It’s funny how in 4 months of negotiations, nothing was able to get accomplished and both sides took a “we won’t compromise” stance. But it only takes 48 hours after the worst blown call in recent history to finally get a deal. I would like to be the first blog to congratulate the NFL for gaining your reputation back, and here’s hoping for a good rest of the season! Everybody’s been ranting about the refs since Sunday, but I want to be sure to get my 2 cents in as well. After Sunday’s game, I was prepared for a Ref Rant. Worst calls of the first 3 weeks. Giving the 49ers 2 extra challenges, giving the Seahawks a 4^th timeout in Week 1, marching off a 27 yd Unsportmanlike Conduct penalty, somehow not calling a helmet to helmet hit on Heyward-Bey (he’s laying there unconscious for 11 minutes, gee, I wonder if that’s a penalty or not?), the tons of blatant fumbles that had to go in for review, the inconsistency of pass interference in every single game, the Saints fan ref almost getting to work the Saints game, and the guy who told LeShawn McCoy to do better because he was on his fantasy team! Not to mention the scrums and fights that occurred without the order of the normal refs. But the final play of Monday Night’s Game was the most bizarre ending I have ever seen! And I’ve been religiously watching football for 12 years. The fact that 2 refs simultaneously called 2 different outcomes (one Interception, one TD) is ridiculous, they didn’t even communicate about it. Golden Tate wasn’t even the one who caught the “Fail Mary,” in fact, you can even see his arm come off the ball after the “Inaccurate Reception” as he’s falling to the ground. You can blame the refs for misinterpreting the rule, but it even went to the replay booth and was not overturned. That’s the real travesty with this play/game. Thank god the real refs are back, but the last play called by the replacement refs will still live in people’s memories for years to come.

True Story behind Monday’s Game

Packers fans can complain all they want about the call going awry, but the entire game should not have come down to that one play anyway. First off, the Packers had the 2^nd most prolific passing offense last year, their QB won an MVP. Are you telling me that you can’t get 2 yards on a 2 point conversion to make it 14-7 instead of 12-7? If you can’t get 2 yards, you don’t deserve to win. Second of all, you’re playing a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year, and you can only score 12 points? Atrocious is an understatement on how the Packer’s offensive line played. They gave up 8 sacks in the first half alone! The Packers were a Super Bowl favorite for a lot of people, there’s absolutely no reason to be in a position where the Seahawks can win it on only their second TD. The Packers need to take SOME accountability for that loss, any decent offense that night and this is a non-issue.

New Idea:

Instead of a flag in Seattle that says “12^th Man,” they should throw up one that says ”13^th Man,” since obviously the refs did more to win that game than the fans…

The 2^nd Most Exciting Game Nobody Saw

After Week 1, FMQB talked about the amazing Vikings Jaguars game that nobody saw. Well Week 3 had another game that got shoved under the radar (I also only saw highlights). In a game between the Titans and Lions, there were 85 points scored and crazy plays all around. Nate Washington had the catch of the year, literally over the back of a Lions defender who came up looking around for the ball (it was in Washington’s hands 15 yds up the field at that point). There was Part 2 of the Music City Miracle, on a crazy punt return, lateral across the field, and an untouched Titan returning said punt for the TD. Then a Hail Mary on the last play by the Lions backup QB. The 4^th and 1 debacle was kind of anti-climactic. If you look at that play, it’s like 3 Lions actually thought the ball was being hiked while the other 8 stand still. But overall, absolutely crazy game!

FMQB is Heading to Vegas!

FMQB’s Uncle and 1 of 7 faithful readers was heading to Las Vegas and wanted to do some sports betting. This is a win-win situation for me, as I get to show off my knowledge, and let’s face it, it’s not my money to lose!!! He wanted 3 to 4 upsets that could potentially win. I gave him Arizona (win), the underdog of the Cincinnati Washington game (was Cincinnati, and win), the Buccaneers (lost to the Cowboys, BUT they cover the spread), and the doozie of them all, the Seahawks over the Packers!

C’Mon Greg Schiano!

A week after the controversial move to dive at the legs of the Giants, the Buccaneers line of scrimmage again as Tony Romo kneeled to end the game. C’Mon Greg Schiano! Also, C’Mon NFL, how is this any different than the bounty stuff, how can you preach player safety and allow this to be ok?

Parity in the NFL:

Last years’ playoff teams are:

In the NFC, 5 of the 6 teams that made the playoffs would be out if the playoffs started today.

In the AFC, 3 of the 6 teams would be out.

Last years playoff teams are barely .500

AFC- 10-8

NFC- 9-9

Parity in the NFL #2:

For several years, the NFC West (Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers) were essentially the laughing stock of the league. In a 5 year span, an 8-8 and a 7-9 team made it into the playoffs (both teams won their first game surprisingly). While the NFC East (Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Redskins) has traditionally been one of the toughest divisions to play in. Two of the last four Super Bowl Winners have come from this division, and each team has been in the playoffs in the last 3 years. But it seems to have switched, all of a sudden the NFC West is tearing it up, and even with three 2-1 teams in the NFC East, does anybody actually think the flaky play of the Cowboys and Eagles will last? The worm has turned.

Stat of the Week #1:

Among the Top 5 QB’s in Passer rating are Kevin Kolb, Andy Dalton, and Christian Ponder

Stat of the Week #2:

C.J. Spiller still leads the league with a whopping 9.2 yds per carry even with 3 full weeks of play

Stat of the Week #3:

Toby Gerhart leads all RB’s in fumbles, which he accrued in 4:42 of real game time

Stat of the Week #4:

The 2 teams that have scored the least amount of points also have 2 wins each. The team that has scored the most amount of points? Only 1 win. Shows what defense can do for you.

Stat of the Week #5:

The Packers have already lost the same amount of games they lost all of last year

Angry Stat of the Week #6:

After the Packers crazy loss on Monday night, the NFL offices had 70,000 voicemails when they came in Tuesday. That means that more people called the NFL than can fit into 16 different NFL Stadiums!!! On a side note: what massive server system must the NFL have to be able to store 70,000 voicemails?!?!

Standings Change:

From here on out, the Green Bay Packers will be credited by FMQB with a Phantom Win. 2-1 is a pretty good start guys!!!

Like the Texans Need Help:

The Texans are atop most people’s power rankings as the best team in the league. Doesn’t help the rest of the league that they play in the worst division in football right now. They are already up 2 games in their division (after only 3 games), like they needed a headstart anyway. Welcome to home field advantage in the playoffs.

MVP Prediction:

Eli Manning is on pace to break the passing yards record…Going to make an early prediction that Eli is this year’s MVP. Without Brees, Manning, Rodgers, or Brady putting up strong numbers, it’s Eli’s to lose. Wouldn’t be surprised if RGIII is in the mix though. Impressive for a rookie.

Quote of the Week #1:

“Once I heard that a deal was going to be made, I got so excited I got down on the floor and started doing pushups!” Ed Hochuli

Quote of the Week #2:

“The replacement refs affecting the outcome of the NFL games is bad enough, but once it starts messing with the outcome of fantasy football that’s where it crosses the line for me” FMQB

Quote of the Week #3:

“I want you to give me a few upsets I can bet on this week, and stay away from the Vikings” Uncle Mike…enough said

Quote of the Week #4:

“Yup” Aaron Rodgers (his answer to every question in the press conference)

Quote and Crazy Realization of the Week:

Down 31-11, FMQB said “With any other team, you would say ‘Wow the Broncos are horrible,’ but with Peyton Manning, you just feel like they’ll still be in the game.” Sure enough Manning scored 2 quick TD’s and had a shot to win the game. Crazy realization that happened two days later? Last year Tim Tebow did this countless times but pulled off the wins. Did John Elway just ditch the QB who would have finished off those comebacks?

Awesome Fantasy Stat of the Week:

During the Broncos last minute “Stanford Band” play, Eric Decker (my team) got credit for the first 13yds of the play while Demaryius Thomas got credited with a fumble when Tamme couldn’t handle his pitch (-2 for my opponent). That play was a 3 point swing in my favor! Still lost the matchup though…

Funniest Moment of Week 4:

The regular referees stepping out onto the field for last night’s game received a standing ovation, and hugs from the players.

Ref Prediction:

By Week 6, the refs will make a judgement call that affects the outcome of a game, and everybody will want the replacement refs back…

*It has been 5 days since our last arrest…

Last 2 arrests have actually been Falcons

Short column this week, and I’m technically Friday AFTERNOON Quarterback this week…AAAAHHHHHH

Interesting Results after week 2:

Teams with 2-0 records: 6.

Teams with 1-1 records: 20.

Teams with 0-2 records: 6. There’s only one 0-2 team in the NFC — New Orleans.
The difference between undefeated and winless? Arizona is 2-0 and only has a +6 point differential. Cleveland is 0-2, and only has a -8 point differential

Also, Philadelphia and Kansas City have scored the same amount of points (41).

Luckiest team in Football

The luckiest team in football doesn’t have a player named “Luck,” nor a horseshoe as a part of their logo. The Eagles have been a turnover machine this year, with 9 turnovers in 2 games. Yet are still somehow 2-0, even eeking out a win over the Ravens. The Eagles need to majorly turn this around if they want a shot at the Super Bowl.

Rams Stat of the Week:

Sam Bradford has the 3^rd highest passer rating in the NFL

Stat of the Week #2:

The NFC West (dubbed the worst division in football for the past 5 years) went 4-0 on Sunday

Stat of the week #3:

Alex Smith is #2 in passer rating. Brady is #12, Stafford is #27, Brees #28. What happened to the franchise QB’s this year?!?!

Stat of the Week #4:

Kevin Kolb, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Sam Bradford, and Russell Wilson all have a higher passer rating than 2 of the 6 quarterbacks who have thrown for 5000yds in a season

Stat of the Week #5:

Christian Ponder LEADS THE LEAGUE in completion percentage

Stat of the Week #6:

Clay Matthews is on pace for a whopping 48 sacks this year!

Stat of the Week #7:

The Kansas City Chiefs (who they are apparently showing games on repeat to prisoners because they are “torturing the city”) lead the AFC in total yards from scrimmage.

Quote of the Week:

“Greg Schiano has coached two games in the NFL, and it has taken him only that short time to convince the world he is a jackass.” – TMQ

I don’t have a “strong” opinion on what happened between the Bucs and Giants, but Shiano’s justification for it was “you play hard until the clock hits zero.” When not 90 minutes earlier, with 2 seconds left in the half, Eli Manning took a knee and the defensive line stood up. The clock still had 2 seconds on it, why not play hard Greg? Not the best sportsmanship.

Interesting tidbit, apparently Manning came to the line and said “We’re taking a knee.”

Thursday Night Game

FFMQB and I went to a sports bar to watch the Giants vs Panthers game. On Wednesday night, I actually said that the Panthers would win, mainly because the Giants were playing with the equivalent of the replacement refs to the NFL…talk about stepping it up. If I had a comparison, I would compare last night’s Giants to the Patriots in the early 2000s, who could plug a WR in at cornerback and have the best defense in the NFL. The Giants really proved that they can hold it together, on a short week, with their biggest offensive stars out of the game. On a side note, the Giants did so well, the bar we were at was watching America’s Funniest Sports Bloopers by the end of the 2^nd quarter.

Weekly Rant and RGIII Quota

Well Robert Griffin the third, I was impressed and a fan of yours, but you held my respect for one whole week. After the Rams game, RGIII claimed he took “cheap shots” from the Rams, and defenders would come up to him and say “We’re going to hit you every play.” Apparently that’s “not what the NFL is about” and he pretty much insinuated that he had a bounty placed on him…Are you freakin kidding me? That is what the NFL is about! The Rams were never flagged for a late hit, or roughing the passer. After Week 1, ESPN replayed a mic’d up sound clip of a Jets’ defender telling a WR that they were going to hit him every play. I didn’t hear any bounty talk after that one! RGIII called the Rams “dirty, and unprofessional.” Go call the Whaaaambulance and come back to the Redcheeks (my nickname for the Redskins from here on out) when you’re done being a baby.

To read this ridiculous article, go here http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8402278/washington-redskins-robert-griffin-iii-says-took-cheap-shots-st-louis-rams

Josh Morgan, worst play of the year:

Luckily I’m a Rams fan, and will not be posting death threats here, because I personally loved what you did. But you just had the single most stupidest and selfish play in the last 5 years of the NFL. You turned a 42 yd game tying field goal into a 63 yard impossible one. The best part about it, it happened not 4 feet away from Mike Shanahan.

This many days…

I was driving to work today, and drove by a sign that said “It has been 3576 days since our last accident.” In the spirit of the NFL, FMQB will now be running the following counter:

It has been 3 days since our last Arrest…

Games of the Week

Houston at Denver: This will be the game of the week to watch

New England at Baltimore: Rematch of the AFC Championship last year, after this week, one of these teams will be 1-2.

Upset of the Week
St. Louis at Chicago: The Rams have a legitimate shot at upsetting the Bears on Sunday, even in Chicago. This should also be a very interesting game.

Philadelphia at Arizona: I would consider this an upset, but watch out for the Cardinals against Philly. A battle of 2-0 teams, and Kevin Kolb with a chip on his shoulder should make for an interesting game in the desert.

Griffining

Just throwing it out there, the “Griffining” phase didn’t last past the Tuesday after it happened…called it!