The Bills have had a rough season so far with injuries, especially at the quarterback position. With EJ Manuel’s injury, and Kolb out for the season with a concussion, the Bills had to sign Thad Lewis from their practice squad. This is usually a recipe for disaster, especially against a playoff team, but Lewis rose to the occasion, throwing two 4th quarter touchdowns to take the game into overtime. The Bills may have lost, but Lewis had a surprisingly good game, completing 60% of his throws and zero INTs.
The Patriots didn’t win, the Saints lost it:
Game of the day was definitely the squeeker between the Patriots and undefeated Saints. The Pats were up by 6 late in the 4th quarter, until Brees threw a bomb to whoever Kenny Stills is for a TD. I’m still baffled with what happened next, and let me paint the picture why. The Patriots would get the ball back with 3:29 in the game, down by 1 with 2 timeouts. Should be plenty of time for a game winning drive. But the Pats got more than 1 chance, they even got more than 2 chances, somehow with 3:29 left in the game, the Saints had the ball twice and the Patriots 3 times! It is inexplicable that the Saints can’t run that time off the clock with 5 possessions! Back to 3:29, the Patriots went 4 and out. Saints run twice, throw (incomplete, stops the clock) and kick a field goal to go up by 4. The Patriots then throw an INT right away (all Saints coaches start celebrating, keep this in mind). Saints then go 3 and out, but at least they’re running it! Pats get the ball with 1:13 with no timeouts and 70 yards to go. This also shouldn’t be possible, yet Brady drives the field with a shot at the endzone. With 5 seconds left, somehow Kenbrell Thompkins gets behind the defender in the endzone (the only place he can go) for the touch down. For a different angle of it, click here. Keep in mind, if Saints had run it on that play 2 series ago instead of pass, the Pats wouldn’t have that 5 seconds. The reason for the huge Saints turnaround is coaching, but coaching lost them this game and their chance to stay undefeated. Continue Reading
Bit of a longer post today, but with the season in full swing, I have a lot to say. I would like to apologize ahead of time for the dissertation, as well as all the Broncos talk…
What’s Going on in Cleveland?
I’m truly confused with what’s going on in Cleveland. They started 0-2, and decided to trade away Trent Richardson (they traded up for him last year, easily their best player). They have since gone 3-0, which is great. Well they just lost Brian Hoyer for the season, which is a huge disappointment. But 2 days after this happens, they start shopping around Josh Gordon their #1 Receiver. The Browns are tied for 1st in their division, but it’s like they’re stockpiling draft picks for next year already. Why are they trying to throw the season?
Brady Hits a Wall:
Have we found the new DiMaggio record for the NFL? As readers remember, there is a slew of QB’s who didn’t even come close to Johnny Unitas’ record of 48 straight games with a TD pass. Brees passed this record last year, but only by a few games to reach 54 straight games. Tom Brady was the only other QB close enough to pass it, and his streak ended at 52 games on Sunday. To put this into perspective, this means that Brady threw a TD pass in every game since late 2009. As I mentioned last year, all it takes is one fluke game where your RB gets 3 TD’s instead, or a crappy weather game like last week. But I find it hard to believe we will see any QB’s get close to this record anytime soon. Continue Reading
I decided to do a special edition of Friday Morning Quarterback this week, so forgive it coming a couple days early, because for once in my life, my mind isn’t 100% focused on football. Also, I realized that about 90% of my readers will be helping out or attending the wedding, so that’s no fun! We’ll get to the funnies later, but first, how about that Week 1! Awesome week of games, teams with concerns already, but this is shaping up to be a season of exciting games.
Cowboys that good? Giants that bad?
Sunday night’s turnover-fest was sloppy, but one of the more loopy games I’ve ever seen. The New York Toaster Strudels (because they’re good Turnovers) turned the ball over on their first play, and the next 2 possessions after that! Unbelievably, they were only down 3-0 after this point. But the Cowboys would start capitalizing on these turnovers. But I have 2 points I would like to throw out there. First, when the Toaster Strudels were clicking, they were clicking! Manning had 450 yards passing, 4 TD’s, and every interception was tipped into a Cowboy’s hands, not necessarily his fault. The Giants looked very strong other than 6 plays. But 6 plays decided this game. My Second point, is that the Cowboys barely won. With 6 turnovers, they should have won by 28. So sure the Cowboys took this game, but watch them fall off and the Toaster Strudels to pick it up the rest of the year.
For the record, apparently the NFL cleared the Giants of faking injuries (ring a bell FMQB fans?). I chose Toaster Strudels because of this, otherwise I would have brought back Los Tramposos. Continue Reading
Aaahhhh, it’s that time of year again. It’s getting cooler, the leaves will be turning soon, and America’s favorite sport is back! Other than the playoffs, this is one of my favorite times of year! Read below for my upcoming season synopsis and predictions.
FMQB Apologizes:
I have been the biggest Tebow proponent out there. My defense is that coaches can’t get over the fact that the guy wins, even if he’s not a standard QB. Well this preseason before the final game, he looked pretty awful. Even his 2 TD performance was essentially short throws and the WR did the work. I’m backing off the Tebow bandwagon for now (and no, it’s not too late).
Broncos Make a Statement:
So last night we were anxiously awaiting the kickoff game of the season, only to be disappointed with a lightning delay (on a side note, the same weatherman looking at blue skies and calling a lightning delay has just been fired and sent to Miami, where this week’s Dolphin’s game will get hit with a snow delay…). It’s funny how upset you can get as a football fan having to wait an extra 30 minutes, you just spent 7 months without football! Anywho, wow did the Broncos put on a clinic. Peyton ties the NFL record for 7 TD passes in a game! Second side note, he can average 2.8 TD’s a game (very doable) and break Brady’s 50 TD record. The Broncos were out to make a statement last night. First, they wanted to show the Ravens they had no bragging rights for beating them in Denver last year in the playoffs, and the Ravens got TROUNCED! Second, there was definitely a message sent to Brady and the Patriots saying “Miss Welker Yet?” Very impressive performance and reason I have chosen the Broncos to win it all.
Let me ask a legitimate question, are we ever going to have a bad Super Bowl game again?!?! I’m not sure we’ve seen one in the past decade! The last blowout game I can remember was the Buccaneers vs Raiders game in 2003, but let’s face it, that game is still causing excitement (ahem, Mr. Bill Callahan). Otherwise, every single game has come down to the fourth quarter, most of them the final drive, and even some the final play! After the first play of the 2nd half (Kickoff return for TD), I began to get disappointed as I could tell this was becoming a blowout and we wouldn’t get an exciting game. But apparently the SuperDome “wasn’t ready for this jelly,” and the lights fizzled out just a few minutes after Beyonce’s performance. Or it could have been the 49ers fan who worked at Entergy. Either way, they went out and all momentum for the Ravens was killed and they wouldn’t score another TD in the final 28 minutes. The 49ers did what they do best, and mounted a valiant comeback only to fall short. Let’s dive into the game a bit more: Continue Reading
FMQB enjoyed his first outdoor football experience this past weekend at the legendary Candlestick Park. A place that had seen Joe Montana and Steve Young lead 5 teams to the Super Bowl. The legends of The Catch, The Catch II, and The Catch III. It was definitely a cool atmosphere and we had great seats even though a majority of the action happened on the other side of the field. The 49ers first two drives were methodical, moving the ball down the field at a good pace with little trouble. But they came away with a FG and a another try was blocked. Victor Cruz had a sweet TD in the 2nd quarter, and his salsa in the endzone was even better! The Giants ran away with it in the 2nd half, kicking an additional 3 FGs and getting a rushing TD. Surprisingly Randy Moss was the Niners leading receiver! Overall, if you look at the stats it was a pretty close matchup. But the story of this game was Alex Smith’s interceptions. He threw 3 of them, and that killed the 49ers. Because of this, the 49ers looked awful. Definitely fun to watch a future hall of famer run the Giants down the field.
One thing I would like to pay attention to the rest of the season, is the fact that Colin Kaepernick is getting more and more playing time. And not only in the Wildcat, he threw it 7 times on Sunday, and ran an additional 2. This gave him 1/6 of the offensive plays the 49ers ran. To be honest, the only time the 49ers looked good was when Kaepernick was in there. They also threw him in there on several red zone opportunities. Watch for this QB drama to unfold the rest of the year, especially when Alex Smith continues to struggle.
Fan Rivalry:
For not being in the same division, the fan rivalry between the 49ers and Giants was pretty heavy. Reminded me of the Cowboys vs 49ers rivalry of the 90s. In 2003, the Giants were up by 24 in a playoff game before the 49ers put together the biggest playoff comeback and won. Last year, these teams met for the NFC Championship and the Giants eeked one out. The Giants fans traveled really well, as there were seas of blue amongst the red. A lot of jarring went on between fans, something I had never really seen before. Check the quotes of the week later on for some funny examples.
Gangbangers:
Speaking of fans, wow did I feel out of place at the 49ers game. First off, it didn’t help that the security person literally asked the woman behind me if she had a weapon before letting her through, but there were a lot of sketchy people at the game. I saw more tattoos on necks and what looked like gang tattoos than I have ever seen combined in my life. I wouldn’t be surprised if fans had killed more people than points the 49ers put up. It felt like we were with a bunch of gangbangers. But even with the rivalry and jarring, fans seemed generally nice. This was until we found out later that a fan got stabbed outside of the stadium….
What’s with the Broncos?
By halftime of Monday night’s game, the Broncos were staring at 2-4 and a disappointing season ahead. But they came back and had one of the most amazing comebacks in recent history. Guess who owns the top 2 comebacks in Monday Night Football history? Peyton Manning. I distinctly remember watching the Colts come back against the Buccaneers (once again on the road) down by 21 with only 5 minutes remaining. Monday night’s was equally impressive. Teams win in the 4th Quarter, and this is when the Broncos play their best football (ring a bell from last year?). Broncos have outscored opponents 79-6 in the 4th Quarter! Their 3-3 record doesn’t remotely show the strength of their team. Look at broncos losses, Atlanta (came back and had a shot to win), Houston (came back and had a shot to win), and New England. They’ve only lost to the toughest teams in the NFL. They also have had a crazy tough schedule to start off, and it only gets easier from here, playing only 2 teams with a winning record in their last 10 games. Broncos could dang near run the table!
Stat of the Week #1:
Russell Wilson as a rookie QB has already defeated Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, and Tom Brady.
Stat of the Week #2:
Only teams in the AFC have a record over .500. Three teams in the NFC West along have a record over .500.
Stat of the Week #3:
The Chargers’ second half possessions ended in fumble, punt, interception, interception, interception, fumble.
Quote of the Week #1:
“Niners are Whiners” little 8 yr old Giants fan in front of a crowd of fifty 49ers fans
Quote of the Week #2:
“Fair catch, that’s how we do it boys” the insane Giants fan behind me rooting for a play that didn’t need to be
Quote of the Week #3:
“Niiiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrrrrsssssss” 49ers Fan
“Only one Champion in this house man” Giants Fan yelling back on Fisherman’s Wharf
“Dad, I think you’re outnumbered” Giants fan’s daughter
Quote of the Week #4:
“So you must like the Minnesota Twins EEEHHHHH?” Canadian fans behind us who followed the stereotype of adding Ehhh to every sentence!
By the Way:
The “Niiiiiiiinnnnneeeeeerrrrrssssss” cheer they did was seriously annoying. Like more annoying than the Vikings first down horn. It sounded like all the air was escaping a dying moose.
Order Restoring Itself:
Remember after Week 3 and all those no-name QB’s were atop the Stats sheet? Things seem to be turning themselves around, take a look at 6 of the top 8 in yardage: Brady, P Manning, E Manning, Ryan, Brees, Rodgers.
Fantasy Focus of the Week:
A few weeks ago, FFMQB took over a fantasy football team and has impressed by going 2-1 with a team she didn’t draft. This week, yours truly and FFMQB had their first matchup against each other, and I refused to help her out leading up to the week. Low and behold, the football gods smited me by allowing two players on my bench to score over 30 points. Result of the matchup? A TIE!!! Probably saved a lot of agony in the FMQB and FFMQB household…
Fantasy point of Week 7:
There are 6 teams on bye this week, good luck people. In one league, I have 7 players on BYE, OUCH! My entire bench is on bye now.
Contending team to be a surprise this year:
Dolphins- Let it be known that in Mid-October, FMQB is picking the Dolphins to make the playoffs. When you look at it, Miami is 2 FGs away from 5-1. Ryan Tannehill is looking strong, running a no-huddle offense. And they’re playing in the most overrated division in football. Patriots still squeak out the division, but the Dolphins should turn it on in the second half.
Bears- Not too much of a surprise here, but I did pick the Bears to win the Super Bowl. Now more and more people are hopping on this bandwagon. Strong D with an improved offense will push the Bears at least to the NFC Championship.
Teams to Fizzle Off:
San Francisco– I have been off the 49ers bandwagon since before the season, while many picked them to win the Super Bowl, I didn’t even pick them to make the playoffs. And the 16 points scored in their last 2 games are starting to prove my point.
Baltimore- I still like the Ravens making a run in the playoffs, but it’ll be hard to overcome injuries to Ray Lewis, LaDarius Webb, Haloti Ngata, and Ed Reed.
Cardinals– It was a fun run while it lasted, but the Cards have lost 2 straight.
Vikings- Mentioned it earlier, but they’ll start off strong and fizzle with an impossible schedule at the end of the year.
RGIII Run:
Crazy run by RGIII to put the nail in the coffin for the Vikings. He apparently thought about running out of bounds for that play! (quota met for the week)
Upset of the Week:
Cleveland over the Colts on the road.
Game of the Week:
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
NY Jets at New England
Baltimore at Houston
It has been 24days since our last arrest, approaching the record!
I’d like to start off discussing the dominance Drew Brees has shown the past 4 seasons. On Sunday night, Brees once again beat another QB record. He has thrown a TD pass in 48 straight games, passing Johnny Unitas 1956 record. It’s crazy for me to think, just how different the eras these 2 QBs played in. In a run-first league with 12 games a season, Unitas revolutionized the position, and helped pave the way for the great QBs to come. Brees is a stat machine in a passing league, with rules favoring offense/QBs, giving him the most passing yards in a season. Yet, it took 56 years for this record to be broken. To put it in perspective, here are QBs that came before Brees that couldn’t beat this record. Joe Montana, Bart Starr, John Elway, Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Steve Young, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre. This record by Unitas/Brees is easily comparable to Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hit streak. Just something that’s extremely difficult to be consistent and string together.
The Devil Watches Football:
Get ready for the most eerie stat FMQB had ever provided!!! Monday night, Tim Tebow played in the 666th Monday Night Football game. Tebow took 6 snaps in the game. His counterpart, Mark Sanchez (who wears number 6), has thrown 6 TDs, 6 INTs, is averaging 6.6 yds per completion. Longest throw of the season is 66 yards. What’s Sanchez’ passer rating? You guessed it, 66.6. *cue Twilight Zone music* Pretty sure this is saying Sanchez is the Devil, and Tebow is God.
Stat of the Week #1:
In the last 6 quarters, the Bills have given up 90 points! To show how bad this is, there are 9 teams in the NFL that haven’t given up 90 points in 5 full games.
Stat of the Week #2:
There are 13 teams whose defense has given up less than 100 points, 4 of those 13 teams play in the NFC West.
Stat of the Week #3:
To show last year wasn’t the Rams fault, they have the 2nd best secondary in the league with a 66.6 passer rating against (have they played the Jets 5 times this year?). Last year, they put 10 secondary players on IR.
Stat of the Week #4:
San Francisco has outscored opponents 79-3 in their last 2 games.
Stat of the Week #5:
Tom Brady has more rushing TD’s than Michael Vick. Vick has thrown for as many attempts as Brady.
Stat of the Week #6:
It took 5 games for Tebow to throw an incomplete pass, just saying…
Stat of the Week #7:
The Rams are above .500 for the first time since November of 2006. Several tough years as a fan.
Houston is Scary:
How good is the Texan’s farm system? The team is 5-0 for the first time ever, and this is after letting the faces of their defense walk after last season (Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans).
Proof there’s Parity:
Last year, the Panthers had the #1 overall pick followed by the Broncos. The Broncos turned it around to a playoff season, and the Panthers had 6 wins and a star QB. This year, the Colts had the #1 pick, followed by the Rams (technically, before they traded down), then the Vikings. So far, it’s only Week 5 and the Colts, Rams, and Vikings have the same or more wins than they did all of last year. This is the fun part about football, you have 1 or 2 powerhouses sure, but every year your team has a legitimate shot at turning things around.
Who?
Trivia question, for the Green Bay Packers, who has the single game record for passing yards? If you guessed Starr, Favre, or Rodgers, you’re wrong. It’s Matt Flynn (last years’ game against the Lions). Question #2: Which quarterback led the 49ers to the highest amount of offensive yards (621) in franchise history? Was it the 4 time Super Bowl winning Joe Montana? Nope. Was it the hall of famer and franchise favorite Steve Young? Wrong again! It was Alex Smith! This happened this past Sunday. Another tidbit, Alex Smith is leading the league in Passer Rating. If you would have said that 3 years ago, you would have been laughed at.
Question to Ponder (and RGIII Quota):
I wonder how Redcheeks quarterback RGIII is adjusting to actually getting hit in the NFL. Funny how after his concussion he has nothing to say about getting demolished the entire game, but he can rip the Rams for hitting him. Maybe he’s growing up!
Question to Ponder #2:
What the heck happened in the Chiefs vs Ravens game? 9-6 was the final score! This was a matchup between the #3 and #7 teams in total offense.
J-E-T-S, NOT, THAT, BAD!
I’m not going to lie, I’ve been off the Jets bandwagon for a long time now. But wow people love to hate them! They looked atrocious against the 49ers, but then again, we have one of the better offenses and the best D in the league. Monday night’s game, the Jets bounced back and dare I say looked impressive against an undefeated Texans team. Even with crappy statistics, the Jets hung in there. What they need to do is get more in tuned with their trickery. Cromartie coming in on several offensive plays (even though they didn’t connect), sent the Texans reeling. Tebow was able to knock out a few decent runs, including a very sweet fake punt. The Jets didn’t look that bad on Monday. They’re still a 7-9 team at the end of the year, but they aren’t that bad…Play I want to see this year? Tebow lining up as a WR, doing a reverse to get the ball from Sanchez. Tebow fakes to run it (meanwhile Sanchez is running down the side of the sideline), but pulls back and fires it to Sanchez in the endzone. Or would God throwing a TD to the Devil cause the world to end (too bad the Jets don’t have a game on Dec 21,2012)…Not sure if anybody remembers this (sad that I do), but think back to 2003 when Tomlinson threw to a wide open Drew Brees for the TD. Very cool!
Higher Power:
There’s a lot of talk about heroes in football, players on a battlefield (or for Kevin Winslow, he’s a “SOLDIER”), God looking down on his team, Tebow getting aid from a higher power, and even miracles. But this is all blown out of proportion when amazing plays happen at amazing times. Well, Sunday had a situation that sent chills through the Indianapolis locker room. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano got diagnosed with Leukemia last week and was forced to end his season to get treatment. Last year, the Colts were the worst team in football, while you could argue the Packers were the best. The Packers came out to an early lead and the Colts were down 21-3 at halftime. But they all remembered their coach. The heart the Colts showed in the second half was something from above. They were able to fight back and scrape out a win, all for their coach. It’s feel-good stories like this that keep fans coming back to football.
Quote of the Week:
“We’re gonna grind those guys up into little Eagle meatballs”- Steelers coach
Quote of the Week #2:
“Why is the kicker wearing gloves?” FFMQB
Baseball Quote of the Week:
“Well, at least Atlanta has a good football team” unknown (after the Braves lost due to a controversial call and threw bottles and trash onto the field)
Baseball Quote of the Week #2:
“I didn’t know the MLB had the replacement Umps in for this game” FMQB (after seeing the controversial call)
Situation of next Week:
Tampa Bay and Kansas City play this week. I bet KC wins it by a TD, but only after Brady Quinn has a horrible game. On the final kneeldown, the Buccaneers will dive at the Chiefs legs and Quinn will get caught up with it and have to be carted off the field. Chiefs fans will cheer this move by the Bucs…
It has been 17 days since our last arrest…(technically a Bengals Cheerleader is in trouble right now, but we’ll give the NFL a free pass, only on this one)
Next Week:
Scouting report of the 49ers vs Giants game, since I’ll be there!!! Re-match of the NFC Championship.
I need to start off with a disclaimer about this week’s column. I literally got to see about a half hour of football in Week 8 due to being out of town. As a result, I only got to watch scores update on my phone (I even missed the Rams upset of the Saints)! So not sure about the quality of this weeks’ column, as my ideas for discussion worthy issues are rather slim. So I apologize, you guys caught me slackin’!
“And the Tebow Goes To…”
There are some iconic poses in the world of sports, the Heisman pose, the Jerry West NBA logo to name a few. But a new pose is sweeping the sports world…The Tebow! It’s even become a nationwide fad. Instead of “planking,” people are now picking random spots and “Tebowing.” A Tebow is where you kneel down, place your elbow on your knee, and your fist on your head. It looks much like “The Thinker” statue, except you’re kneeling instead of sitting. Tim Tebow does this pose everytime before he goes in for a series, and it has become iconic. This is my plea to the NFL to make a trophy, like the Heisman, and give it out to the MVP of the league every year. The pose will be of a Tebow.
While we’re on the subject, the Broncos looked atrocious on Sunday agains the Lions, at home. Tebow was sacked 7 times, and they got killed 45-10! Perhaps I crowned him too soon.
Scheduling WTH!
I was checking out the schedule for this week’s Games of the Week, and noticed something goofy. Normally Week 10 is the last week for bye teams, but this year it is Week 11. Not only that, the Bye’s skip over Week 10! What the Heck? Teams have byes in the following weeks this year: 5,6,7,8,9, and 11. Just strange to me.
No Mo-Town:
Don’t get me wrong, FMQB is still on the Lions bandwagon, it’s fun to see them do well for a change. But this new found success is getting to their heads. First it was a coach fight, last week Suh was kicking Matt Ryan and yelling “Bring out the cart” (allegedly), and now this past week they got involved in the Tebowing craze. But this week was flat out funny! The Lions got to Tebow and sacked him 7 times! After one sack, there is a great picture of Tebow laying on the ground, while the defensive lineman is doing a Tebow right next to him. Then a double move of cockiness, ex-Bronco Tony Scheffler caught a TD, did a FAKE Tebow, and then Mile High Saluted the Denver crowd. Both these moves were bold, but funny.
Where we’re at for Team Names:
Just a quick recap. We’re halfway through the season and there are a few nicknames I’d like to remind the readers where we are at, and even add a couple new ones.
Philadelphia Eagles are referred to as the Nightmares until they’re over .500
New York Giants are referred to as Los Tramposos (Spanish for Cheaters) due to faking injuries.
I am changing the name of a few other teams for the rest of the season:
With the multiple personalities of the Lions, they are hereby called the Detroit Rex’s since I think the Lions players are about as cocky as Rex Ryan.
The Washington Redskins are hereby changed to the Washington Fighting Sioux, since the Sioux is a lot less offensive than Redskins. Based on the crazy notion that the University of North Dakota should change their name, while the Redskins, Indians, Braves, and Seminoles are fine with their tomahawking and mascots.
Based on last week’s columns, the Baltimore Ravens are hereby the Baltimore Nevermores.
The Carolina Panthers will now be referred to as the Carolina Newtons (not to be mistaken for the measurement of mass), since if it were in God’s Gift to Man Cam’s power, he would be the only person on the team.
The Kansas City Chiefs will now be known as the Kansas City Chargers, since for some reason the whole “Start off horribly only to go on a winning streak” craze jumped AFC West teams from the Chargers to the Chiefs.
Stat of the Week #1:
If the two #1 seeds met in the Super Bowl this year, it would be a rematch of last years’ game.
Stat of the Week #2:
The Kansas City Chargers started the season 0-3, just 4 games later they are winning the AFC West.
Stat of the Week #3:
San Francisco’s Magic Number is 5, meaning they could clinch a playoff berth by Week 13
Stat of the Week #4:
The Kansas City Chiefs would currently host a home playoff game, but are -42 in point differential.
Stat of the Week #5:
The Cardinals are 1-6, and have only a -40 point differential where as the Chiefs are 4-3.
Stat of the Week #6:
Sam Bradford is tied for 3rd in the league for the amount of times sacked, but he’s even missed 2 games.
Stat of the Week #7:
Only 12 RB’s are on pace for a 1000 yd season…two of those play for Houston.
Stat of the Week #8:
The #2 and #3 leaders in receptions in the league both play for New Orleans…neither of them are Wide Receivers
Stat of the Week #9:
Cam Newton has 7 more rushing TD’s than Michael Vick
Poe-leeasssee!
As I mentioned last week (or Edgar Allen Poe mentioned in 1847, however you want to look at it), the Baltimore Nevermores needed to be extremely careful of playing bad teams due to their tendency to beat the good and lose to the bad. The Cardinals took the Nevermores to the brink, only to have them come back from 24 down to win the game and barely escape Poe’s predictions.
Quarterback Rankings
On Sunday night, FFMQB asked “Do you think Tony Romo is a Top 10 quarterback?” I said yes but it would be at the bottom of that list, she said no. So it got me thinking about how good QB’s are in comparison. I’m sure this will spark some disagreements and perhaps debate, but here is my list. I am including Peyton Manning, Chad Henne, anybody who should be their team’s #1 QB right now.
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Ben Roethlisberger
Philip Rivers
Tony Romo
Eli Manning
Matt Ryan
Jay Cutler
Michael Vick
Matt Schaub
Matthew Stafford
Cam Newton
Mark Sanchez
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Matt Hasselbeck
Joe Flacco
Matt Cassel
Jason Campbell
Joshua Freeman
Sam Bradford
Kyle Orton
Rex Grossman
Andy Dalton
Carson Palmer
Christian Ponder
Tim Tebow
Alex Smith
John Beck
Kyle Kolb
Blaine Gabbert
Colt McCoy
Chad Henne
Donovan McNabb
Tavaris Jackson
One disclaimer, the only reason I have Cam Newton so low is because he’s a rookie and hasn’t won. Sure he puts up stats galore, but until he proves to be a winner, he will not break my top 10. Same goes for Ponder, Dalton, and Gabbert, it’s too early to put them above other proven QBs.
Also, there are very strong arguments for any of the Top 4 to be the best QB in the league. I feel like Rodgers could be #1 or #4, that’s how close it is for me.
If the Playoffs were to start today:
Baltimore, a team with a .714 winning percentage, would be out, while Buffalo, a team with a .714 winning percentage, would have a first round bye.
The Texans, Chiefs, and Bengals would have a higher seed than the Patriots.
Quote of the Week:
“If there was one team on the Rams schedule this year that I would have said they don’t have a shot at winning, it was against New Orleans” Matt
World Series Magic Dust:
I had 2 questions after Sunday’s games, and both revolved around the miracle in St. Louis. First, holy Rams, where did that come from? The second, what the heck happened to the Saints? As I mentioned last week, the Rams had scored 56 points total, while the Saints scored 62 points in Week 7 alone. The Rams were up 17-0 at half, but my initial thoughts were the Saints could easily erase that deficit. But the Rams kept pouring it on and somehow the team that was averaging 9 points per game kept scoring! In the end it probably won’t mean much, but at least we can say that the Rams were competitive with a team that is a Super Bowl contender. Must have been some leftover World Series Magic Dust in St. Louis.
Games of the Week:
Wooo great lineup this week! Tons of divisional matchups and playoff implications. Be sure to pay attention to the following games:
As many of my readers know, FMQB is a diehard St. Louis Rams fan. This past week I had the pleasure of roadtripping down to St. Louis to see the Rams live and in person. As a result, I only was able to watch the SNF game as well. So this column will be moreso observations on the week from online knowledge.
Serious Problem in St. Louis:
Being able to watch the game in person, I realized that not only should I not have had my hopes up for this season, but there is a serious problem in St. Louis. There were three 3rd down’s, and two TD plays (one in the endzone) where there were perfect balls thrown by Bradford only to have the receiver drop the ball. Penalties were also prevalent. There was a false start our first trip into the redzone, a false start by the receiver (you’re 40 feet from the ball, no way you can hear Bradford, watch the DAMN ball!), and a false start on 3rd down of our final drive to attempt to tie the game. Believe it or not, all of these mistakes were overshadowed by the sacks. The Redskins got to Bradford 7 times in this game! After our Interception was returned to the 20yd line being down 17-10, Bradford took 2 sacks in the series and got out of field goal range because of it. Plays would breakdown after 3 seconds, and Bradford just seemed to tuck over and cradle the ball waiting to be hit. At one point, the usually cool and collected Bradford was over at the O-line bench barking at all of them to protect better. I could see this really well because of our seats 10 rows back on the Rams sideline :). But our team is in disarray, we literally should have won that game 27-17, but stupid mistakes are the reason we are 0-4.
Being a Rams Fan:
As a Rams fan of the past decade, I have come into seasons expecting the worst, and riding the team through 1-15 seasons, #1 and #2 overall draft picks, several head coaches, and the almost weekly reminder of how far the “Greatest Show on Turf” has fallen. People ask me what my favorite team is, and I tell them “The Rams” only to get laughed at. But I’ll tell you what, going into the Edward Jones Dome and having 40,000 of my compadres around me, depressed with me; I think I can get through this. It was like one giant support group. I wasn’t the only one who cared about the stupid mistakes that make the Rams lose games, the entire stadium was with me on it.
Play and Quote of the Week:
Situation: Redskins punting, Rams punt returner is a rookie. First punt, high kick, no fair catch, returner gets nailed as the ball gets to him, fumble but Redskins penalty (Catch interference). The Very Next Punt! High kick, no fair catch, returner gets Klobbered as the ball gets to him, fumble but Redskins penalty (Un-necessary roughness on a defenseless receiver). With the rookie lying in a heap for 10 seconds with no movement, everybody was wondering why you wouldn’t call a fair catch in either situation? And what the hell Redskins special teams, you can’t do that! Next punt, Rams put in a different punt returner. This time the booming kick warrants an immediate fair catch signal (Play of the Week), and the returner catches the ball without incident. Oh boy did the Rams fans whoop and holler! Leading to the quote of the week when FFMQB exclaimed “That fair catch got the biggest cheer of the day!”
And the Mood was Somber in St. Louis:
I couldn’t help noticing how quiet the Edward Jones Dome was during the first 3 quarters of the game. As we kept piling up penalties, dropped TD passes, stupid mistakes, and sacks to get us out of FG range, one could literally whisper and be heard by the person next to you. Other than the Fair Catch, the loudest the stadium got was the fans booing their home team at halftime. After the loss, nobody really spoke much about their 0-4 team. The night before the excitement of the St. Louis Cardinals last second playoff berth was also thwarted by a quick Game 1 loss, which could lead to them losing the series and their season being over. Made me realize that I am SO HAPPY I do not live a city where the football team is 0-4 and the baseball team can’t win in the clutch….oh wait.
Offense vs. Defense:
Every spring, college football teams have an Offense vs. Defense game to please fans and run a full scrimmage. They often make up ways for the defense to score (4 points for an Interception, 2 points for a punt) in a way to make it an entertaining game. Rarely does the Defense win even with these points, but it’s a fun concept. But wow, look at Sunday night’s Jets vs. Ravens game. Believe it or not, had they played Offense vs. Defense, with no goofy point system, the Defense (and Special Teams) would have won 35-16! There were 5 defensive or return TD’s, vs. only 1 Offensive TD and 3 FGs!
Make up your Mind Romo:
Are you a Choker or a Hero? I seriously just want an answer. Because you’re either fumbling chip-shot field goals in the playoffs, or blowing big 4th Quarter leads to the Jets or Lions by throwing back to back pick 6s. OR you’re putting on gritty performances in the clutch with broken ribs and punctured lungs. I just want an answer Tony. You’re being as wishy-washy as the Steelers this year.
FMQB cried “Run the no huddle quick snap more often!”:
As I mentioned a few weeks back, the Rams ran the no huddle quick snap offense extremely effectively against Los Tramposos, driving up and down the field. Even though we couldn’t punch it into the endzone, we were effectively driving and getting scoring opportunities. The Rams stopped running it, Los Tramposos pulled away and the game was over.
This week, the Rams had done nothing the first 3 quarters. Multiple times, FMQB cried “Run the no huddle quick snap” but even with our great seats, Coach McDaniels couldn’t hear me. Or at least chose not to listen until the 4th quarter (we were already down 17-0). And what would you think happens when they start running the no huddle quick snap? Rams drive down for their first score, a FG. Next drive, no huddle quick snap, Rams drive for their only TD of the game. If Bradford can run the offense that well, and these quick short throws are beating defenses, why not run it more often?
Stat of the Week #1:
Joe Flacco’s Passer Rating was 37.4, and he had the higher rating among the 2 QB’s
Stat of the Week #2:
The Jets vs Ravens game showed 51 points on the board, and only 1 TD was from the offense.
Stat of the Week #3:
The San Diego Chargers are 3-1, but the teams they have defeated are a combined 1-11. The only winless team the Chargers haven’t played is the Rams. The Football Gods were smiling upon the Chargers when making their schedule.
Stat of the Week #4:
There have been 4 comeback victories of being down 20+ points at halftime. This ties the record for most in the season (and we’re only through Week 4!). 2 of these victories have come from the Lions, 1 is from the Bills, and 1 is from the 49ers.
Stat of the Week #5:
An amazing 15 quarterbacks are on pace for a 4000yd season this year. 6 of those are on pace for 5000.
Stat of the Week #6:
Sam Bradford has been sacked a league leading 18 times this year. The 2 teams with the fewest allowed sacks? A couple of FMQB’s favorites, Raiders and Bills, who have only allowed 2 sacks a piece to their starting QB’s.
Weekly Cam Update:
God’s Gift to Man Cam Newton put on another impressive showing against the Bears. Guess who the Top 5 passers in the league are right now? Brady, Brees, Newton, Rodgers, and Rivers. That is impressive company he is in. 3 of those top 4 have won Super Bowls. However, other than Cam, they are a combined 13-3 while Cam is 1-3. All 3 losses the Panthers have been in it in the end, but they need to start closing out games in order to get over the hump.
Andrew Luck, Hope you Like Miami!
Miami is 0-4, and the only semi-decent player on the roster, who happens to lead the team at QB, is potentially out for the season. Looking at the Dolphins schedule, there are literally 3 games that are potentially winnable. On top of that, they still have 5 games against the toughest division in football (Patriots, Jets, Bills). Don’t be surprised to see them go 0-16. But hey, for Andrew Luck? It might be worth it! Dolphins are FMQB’s prediction of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes winner!
Best Draft Strategy:
Ok, I know it’s only Week 4, but while we’re on the subject, let’s talk 2012 NFL Draft. There are two draft strategies that teams live by. 1) Draft the best available player on the board and 2) Draft the best player in the position you need the most. This is complicated, let’s say you need an offensive line upgrade BAD. The best O-lineman is still on the board, but the second best could drop another 20 picks since the position isn’t deep that year. But what if there’s a Wide Receiver who is highly touted and it’s your pick. Your team already has 2 good WRs, but could groom one for the future. Also, by the time you have the next pick in Round 2, it’s expected that the top 5 WR’s will already be gone (it’s a good class). What do you do? Strategy #1, you take the Wide Receiver, he’s the best player on the board and can provide your team with a spark, however it’s not fulfilling your need. Strategy #2, you take the O-lineman, fulfills your need, but probably not the best value of your pick. NFL teams vary on each strategy, what do you do? You have no QB or RB, and Vince Young and Reggie Bush are on the board and you take a Defensive End…tough decision but successful pick. You have Brett Favre and Marshall Faulk, two hall of fame players with a good 3-4 years left in them. Yet you draft Aaron Rodgers and Steven Jackson. Definitely NOT a need, but they’re the best players on the board. Once again, tough decision but successful pick.
Why am I getting at this? Andrew Luck is arguably the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning in 1998. He would have hands down been the #1 overall pick after his Junior year, yet he chose to stay and is tearing it up again. What happens if the Colts or Rams get the #1 overall pick this year? Do you dump Peyton Manning, the eternal face of your franchise? Do you dump your Heisman Trophy winning 2nd year QB who you are grooming to be the same? This is a tough decision, but right now there is a very good chance that this could happen. If it does, it will be a decision that will be questioned for many years to come. What would you do?
Next Week:
Back to a full recap around the league, and boycotting any mention of the Rams until we get a win…
For one week only, FMQB will now become ThMQB (Thursday Morning QB) since FMQB is road tripping to St. Louis to watch the Rams game live and in person! In all actuality, I work on writing my column every Monday, and tweak it after the MNF game. I’m already regretting dubbing myself the FMQB because I get so excited waiting for it to be Friday to publish it!
Contenders or Pretenders:
This has been one of the more bizarre years in recent football memory and it’s only Week 3! I am literally having trouble making sense of why the good teams can look bad, yet some have winning records. How bottom of the barrel teams and teams that should be having another tough year are somehow taking out the powerhouses.
We have the Steelers (2-1) looking horrible in Week 1, fantastic in Week 2, and barely beating the Colts in Week 3. This is the AFC Champion Steelers we’re talking about, I’m not convinced until I see some consistency (remember FMQB predicted they’d miss the playoffs). Pretender
Same with the Giants (2-1), Los Tramposos (Spanish for “cheaters”). They looked horrible against the Redskins and 3 quarters against the Rams, how do the they come in and defeat their rival dream-team Eagles, IN Philly! Pretender
Speaking of which, I was caught up in the hype about the Eagles (1-2) this year as well. I agreed with Vince Young that they were a “Dream Team” and couldn’t believe the big name players on the roster! Yet Philly is 1-2 and in last place in the division. Even the Rams beat up Michael Vick quite a bit, although not enough to slow down the offense. Still a Contender
Oakland (2-1) has proved they are definitely for real this year. They were 3 points away from knocking off the Bills and being 3-0, but this week’s win against the Jets was very impressive. Contender
Buffalo (3-0) is also real. Defeating the Chiefs and Raiders, the Bills were still up in the air in my book. But knocking off the Patriots, who have had their number for the past 15 games, proves that Buffalo will be a force to be reckoned with late in the season. Contender
Second bandwagon team I’ve jumped on, the Lions (3-0) also proved they are for real. In any other year, being down 20-0 at halftime the Lions would have expected to lose. They seem very confident this season, and coming back to win shows heart. They have beaten Tampa Bay on the road, a major offensive performance at home against KC, and a monster comeback on the road. Contender
Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans are a team that shouldn’t be 2-1. All signs pointed to a rebuilding year, with Kenny Britt out for the season, and Chris Johnson not performing, one wonders how they managed to lose to Jacksonville at home but beat Baltimore on the road. Could throw a twist into the AFC South with the Colts out of it, but they are still a Pretender.
The Falcons are a team that shouldn’t be 1-2. They have started off slow, but have lost to good Chicago and Tampa Bay teams. At 1-2 and defeating the Eagles, Atlanta is still a Contender.
San Francisco (2-1) has a winning record and was an overtime FG away from being 3-0! Whoah where did this come from? The NFC West that’s where! They crushed a struggling Seahawks team, barely beat the lowly Bengals, and only by internal organ damage were they able to take the Cowboys to the brink. It’s Week 3 and the 49ers WILL win the division and make it to the playoffs, however expect an early and embarrassing exit, which means that when it comes to the title, they are a Pretender.
Redskins have looked impressive up until Monday night. But their Quarterback is still Baby Face Rex Grossman, and that’s the only reason why they are a Pretender.
Once again the Chargers (2-1) are a confusing team to me. You can literally break down 3 plays which lead to them either being 3-0 or 0-3. One of my preseason favorites, they have barely eeked out wins against the Vikings and Chiefs, and yet nearly toppled the Patriots. Is this part of their annual slow start, or is it something worse? Time will tell, but I will not tell if they are a pretender or contender.
The Bears are another team that shouldn’t be 1-2, and yet Jay Cutler continues to be hit (14 sacks in 3 games). As soon as the Bears look good in one department, they look horrible in another. If they can fix their consistency issues, I feel the Bears are still a Contender.
At the beginning of the season, FMQB said that the division was Houston’s for the taking. I am sticking with my guns on this one. The Texans (2-1) are very close to being 3-0, and their only loss was in a shootout with the powerhouse Saints. Interested to see how they do with the upcoming Steelers, Raiders, and Ravens. But they are still Contenders.
Time to give Kubiak some props:
Speaking of Houston, in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Texans personnel decisions were radically questioned by just about everybody in the league. In that year, with the #1 pick they chose Mario Williams while giving up the chance to own the speedy Reggie Bush or fresh champion Vince Young to be the face of their franchise. Analysts and fans alike were shocked, and thought it was downright insane to miss out on those 2 explosive players. Here we are 5 years later. Reggie Bush is a backup RB for a team that is 0-3. Vince Young is a backup QB for a team that is 1-2. Neither one are still with the teams that drafted them. Meanwhile Mario Williams has 50 sacks in 5 years, believe it or not that’s more sacks than Ray Lewis has in 15 years! He has also only missed 3 games in his career due to injury, while Young and Bush’s explosive play has led to lingering injury problems. (Bush has missed 20 games due to injury, Young has missed 29 games due to injury or being benched). Gotta hand it to you Texans, that was a bold franchise decision that worked wonders!
“And That’s Why They Play The Game!”
Last week FMQB made a plea for Flex-scheduling to be able to avoid having to watch the Steelers kill the Manning-less Colts. Boy was I wrong, not only was this an exciting game, the Steelers actually had to come back to win the game! Freeney and Mathis absolutely wrecked havoc on Big Ben. And Polamalu was flying into the backfield on several plays, one of which I swore he was going to take the handoff instead of Joseph Addai! It was an exciting game nonetheless, much like Green Bay vs. Carolina the week before. I may not write off bad games on paper anymore (although not too excited for Tampa Bay vs Indy next Monday).
Stat of the Week #1:
The Bears rushed for a measly 13 yards on Sunday. Jay Cutler had 11 of them.
Stat of the Week #2:
The Bills, Lions, and Browns are a combined 8-1! Last season they went a combined 15-33.
Stat of the Week #3:
Alex Smith’s TD to INT ratio is the same as the 49ers record, 2-1.
Stat of the Week #4:
Kansas City’s leading rusher is a Wide Receiver. He is also leading the league in yds/attempt and is 26th in the league for rushing yards! Who is in 2nd place for yds/attempt? Michael Vick, a quarterback (who is also in 20th place in the league for rushing yards).
Stat of the Week #5:
Four of the top 8 leaders in receptions aren’t Wide Receivers or Tight Ends. It is 3 RB’s and a FB.
Stat of the Week #6:
There have been 3 kickoff returns for TD’s this season, they all came in Week 1.
Stat of the Week #7:
Tom Brady was intercepted 4 times all of last season (960 minutes of game time). In a span of 22 minutes in Sunday’s game, Brady was intercepted 4 times by the Bills.
Stat of the Week #8:
The Eagles have what I will argue as 3 of the top 6 cornerbacks in the league right now (Asomugha, Samuel, Rodgers-Cromartie). In nickel packages, this means that a top 6 corner is covering the offense’s #3 receiver. Yet the Eagles have given up 8 TD passes, which is dead last in the league for pass TD’s allowed.
Quote of the Week:
Proof that Vikings fans now have no faith in their team, FMQB and FFMQB (Female Friday Morning QB) were driving during the second quarter of the game on Sunday. After going into halftime up 20-0, FFMQB asked “What are the odds they blow this one too?” I proceeded to have faith in the Vikings, after all they were up by 20, but FFMQB wasn’t having it. Sure enough, we get in the car later to hear that the Vikings blew their 3rd lead in a row. In their first three games, the Vikings have gone into halftime leading by 10, 17, and 20 points. They are 0-3. What are the odds that Ponder is brought in by Week 6? I have been saying it ALL YEAR, but watching them play has only been fueling my prediction.
What if the Vikings ARE Good!
Look at the teams the Vikings have blown leads to: Chargers, Buccaneers, Lions. These are all playoff caliber teams with a combined record of 7-2. What if the Vikings had hung onto 1 or 2 of those games, they might be in the discussion of Contenders. Perhaps they turn it around against the Chiefs and Cardinals.
Horrible quote of the decade:
Remember when Kellen Winslow Jr. was with the Browns, and he freaked out at reporters and ranted “We are Soldiers!” Well Tony Romo got as close to being a soldier on Monday. He wore a Kevlar bullet-proof vest to protect his broken rib and battered lung. This also came in handy with the rumor that Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson were seen at the stadium. Does anybody actually believe that “Before He Cheats” wasn’t written about Tony Romo? How about “Cowboy Casanova” when Romo happens to play for the…Cowboys.
Who’s Undefeated?!?!
There are 3 teams that are undefeated this year, 2 of them are the Lions and Bills.
Vick gets hurt Again!:
After coming back from a concussion the week before, Vick ended up badly bruising his hand (initially thought to be a break) against Los Tramposos. Time and time again FMQB has talked about how banged up Vick is getting. The preseason was awful for him, even the Rams were knocking him around. It’s week 3 and he has already left the game twice for what could have been major injuries. I had an Over/Under 4 games missed due to injury at the beginning of the year, that prediction is looking pretty good as well.
On a side note, mouthguards are supposed to dramatically reduce the risk of concussions due to the jaws not slamming in on each other. QB’s typically don’t wear mouthguards as it is tough to understand the play that’s being called. But after a QB’s first concussion, most will return with a mouthguard. Vick doesn’t wear a mouthguard, and the blood he was spitting out was due to biting his tongue. When he returned Week 3, it was once again without a mouthguard.
Colt’s QB Competition is now a QB Conspiracy:
Before knowing anything for sure, I hate to say that Kerry Collins’ concussion wasn’t legit, but did you see the play that it supposedly happened? Not only was his head not hit (or hit the ground), he didn’t look phased at all as he immediately started jarring with the ref. But afterwards they showed Collins on the bench, with no trainers around him, sitting there looking frustrated with Curtis Painter warming up. It took nearly a half hour in real time to show trainers escorting Collins to the locker room. This all just seems fishy to me if the NFL is cracking down on concussion safety. Collins is completing 49% of his passes and has 481 yards in 3 games. He’s 29th in passing yards, 30th in passer rating, it’s obvious he isn’t getting the Colts offense. So they needed a spark. It’s hard to justify benching your free agent QB signing, but it’s my contention that Collins isn’t actually hurt and it’s an excuse to get Painter in. Painter had the best drive of the season for the Colts on one series. Just saying…(cue Twighlight Zone music).
Oh how the Immortal have fallen:
This week, God’s Gift to Man Cam only had 158 yds passing. Granted, this is 4X as many yards as McNabb had in Week 1, but after the 400 yard performances this looks pretty weak! What’s the only difference in this game? The Panthers actually won! On a side note, Cam’s immortal status has apparently angered the Football Gods, as they cast down a torrential monsoon for this game. Quote from one analyst watching the game “It sounds like they’re broadcasting in the shower!”
Obscure Scores of the Week:
At one point in the game, the Panthers led the Jaguars 5-3.
At one point in the game, the Redskins were winning 16-15. Only after the 9th field goal of the game did the Cowboys win 18-16.
The 49ers won their game 13-8.
Games of the Week:
Redskins at Rams (Why? Because I’m there!)
Lions at Cowboys (Could be a test for the Lions, but an exciting game is sure to happen)Over/Under Field Goals by the Cowboys vs. Calvin Johnson catches!
Steelers at Texans (Which team sinks to .500, which team is legit)
Patriots at Oakland (Oakland might have what it takes to take down Tom Brady)
Jets at Ravens (Rex Ryan vs. his old team)
Next Week: A detailed description of the Rams home game!!!
FMQB is a blog for football fans, by a football fan. Each week I try to show some insights into several games and interesting statistics while also bringing humor to the mix. Join me for some fun by taking a quick break every week to re-live the best game in the world.
FMQB 