411's NFL Round Up 11.04.08: Week 9 Breakdown

Posted by Emmett Wilks on 11.04.2008

The Browns blow a big game, giving way to the Brady Quinn era. Also, the Cowboys get the smackdown from the Giants, and two young QB's will be missing some time. All this plus the Week 9 breakdown in this edition of NFL Round Up!

Good day to everyone, and welcome to NFL Round Up. I have finally been able to emotionally digest the happenings of Philadelphia this week. The Philles World Series win was indeed a very big deal for all Philly sports fans, whom have been more patient than you want to know (except for you Cleveland). The parade, speeches (especially Chase Utley), and the atmosphere was something I have never experienced in my life, but hope to many, many more times. In the NFL right now, we are beginning to see just who will be in favorite positions for the post season. The easy observation is that Tennessee and the Giants are currently in a league of their own in terms of talent and performance. But they are far from invincible, and the teams who are beginning to come on strong; Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Chicago will all be in position late this season to make a statement. Now, onto the Round Up!

QUICK NOTES

Brady Quinn will officially get the start for Cleveland this Thursday, likely ending the Derek Anderson reign. Quinn, the Browns believed savior back in 2007, has not started a game for the Browns due to the previous strong play from Anderson. But Anderson has performed well below expectation this season, with the Browns sitting at 3-5. While Anderson's numbers were never atrocious (9 TD's, 7 picks, 1454 yards), he has proven ineffective in clutch situations this year. That lack of execution culminated in a terrible 4th quarter interception for a touchdown against the Ravens this weekend, turning a 3 point deficit into 10. This was a move that had become more of a when than an if, especially after the 0-3 start. Quinn is still a complete NFL mystery. He has appeared in just one NFL game, going 3-for-8 for 45 yards. The Browns season is likely lost anyway, with both Pittsburgh and Baltimore playing well in the division. The future therefore begins now. If there is one thing history has demonstrated, all new NFL QB's should be afforded a "wait and see" approach in their development. Quinn will be no exception, but eager and angry Browns fans, expecting to see playoff team this year, will not be so patient with their new QB.


Brady Quinn will now get a chance to lead the Browns this season

Word has it that Bears QB Kyle Orton will be missing at least a month with a high ankle sprain. This will open the way for the return of former starter (and Super Bowl QB) Rex Grossman. Orton has played at a Pro Bowl level this season. But Grossman, with all of his well documented failings, is still a talented QB when it comes to throwing the football. As long as its to a member of the Bears team. The Bears sit atop the NFC North right now, have a tough next four weeks with Tennessee, Green Bay, a newly tough St. Louis, and a Monday night showdown with the Vikings. This is not an easy path with a back-up QB, but I am sure the Bears feel more comfortable with a QB commodity they know in Grossman than a young rookie or over the hill journeyman.

And yet another young QB went down for a while. Texans QB Matt Schaub has suffered a torn MCL, which will keep him out of action for at least a month. The Texans were close to climbing back to .500 in there 28-21 lose to Minnesota. That puts back-up Sage Rosenfel back into the starting lineup, where he has meet with some success. The Texans have been the victim of playing in a strong division, with the Titans and the always dangerous Colts to deal with. Rosenfel, despite that meltdown effort against the Colts earlier this year, has a 4-2 record with the Texans. With the Raven on the schedule next week though, I am not envious of Rosenfel.

Nice to have Dante Culpepper back in the NFL. The former Pro Bowler is set to sign a two-year deal with Detroit after he passes a physical. Unsigned after being released by the Raiders last season, Culpepper abruptly retired. With 8 more games left for the Lions, Culpepper would likely see limited action the next few weeks before starting a game. If there was one unemployed QB out there who could give the Lions a shot at winning a game, Culpepper was certainly the guy to get. A very smart move to try to do something positive in this nightmare season.

WEEK 9 BREAKDOWN

Game of the Week


Indianapolis Colts 18 New England Patriots 15

Why people at any point count out a Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy Colts teams is really a head-scratcher. Playing with desperation in the middle of the season (a place very foreign to them), the Colts took on and beat a very good Pats team. Getting touchdowns over field goals proved the difference. Two Manning touchdowns to Anthony Gonzalez (both phenomenal throws by the way), to go along with a 52 yard field goal proved enough to help a resurgent Colts defense, who welcomed back All-Pro safety Bob Sanders. When the Colts needed a win the most, Manning was at his best. He put up season topping numbers on Sunday night: 21-of-29 passing for 254 yards and 2 TD's, 0 INT. New England had their chances. Trailing 15-12, WR Jabar Gaffney dropped a certain TD pass that would have put the Pats ahead. That play would be emblematic for the evening the Pats had. Good drives that could not be finished. The Patriots settled for 3 field goals on the night, and missed a two-point conversion attempt in the 3rd quarter that would have changed the whole complexion of the game.

Outlook

Last week, I left the Colts out of the playoffs in favor of Baltimore and Buffalo. While I won't alter my position just yet, the Colts are certainly heading in the right direction. Now at 4-4, the Colts can put themselves in the driver's seat to save their season. The remaining schedule is a roller coaster. After a date with Pittsburgh next week, they face six straight sub-.500 teams in Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Jacksonville. They will then cap off the regular season with a game against the league best Tennessee . Now, to think they will take all of those six games against the losing teams is asking a bit much, but not impossible. Pittsburgh and Tennessee will be tough, but winnable. With 8 games left to play, a newly healthy Colts team does possess a chance for a 6-2, 5-3 finish this year. And with a suddenly pedestrian AFC conference this season, 9-7 just might be enough to squeak into the playoffs, where anything can happen. Bill Belichick did not coach his finest game this weekend. For starters, he called for an unnecessary two point conversion in the 3rd quarter, called a timeout for a play that resulted in a first down, lost a challenge (that was worth challenging BTW), and used his last timeout with over 11 minutes left in the game. Yes, the unthinkable has happened. Bill Belichick has indeed had a bad game as an NFL coach. While this is not the first time this has happened (the Cleveland era is ripe with examples), the game was a nationally televised, and therefore magnified the mistakes. Look, the Belichick's decision making has won New England far more games than it has lost. Yes, the bad calls helped doom the Patriots chances, but I think Belichick, as much as any great coach in football history, can declare a mulligan on this one.


For New England, the road ahead is ver, very difficult. The AFC East teams are all playing well, and the Pats meet each one of them in the next three weeks. Of their remaining 8 games, 6 of those teams are currently above .500. There are still numerous positives to be taken from this game and the rest of the year. Through 8 games, mostly without their starting QB, they are still tied at the top of the division. But talent and fate still seems to be on the side of the Pats. No one really knows how good the Jets are, and Buffalo has had some poor games of late. Until the final scoreboards show them beat, the Pats are still the class of the AFC East.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Offense-

NY Giants offensive line

Yeah, the whole group gets the award this week. But they really deserved this one. Here was a Dallas defense trying to build off a very positive week when they downed Tampa Bay , only to totally manhandled by the Giants. Yes, they did give up two sacks, but in terms of physicality and toughness, this was a no contest. The Dallas front seven was moved backwards, just punished, several plays on Sunday. The G-Men rushed for 200 yards, and Eli Manning enjoyed very good protection for most of the game. While I still think Tennessee is the leagues best team, New York is not very far behind, and the offensive live maybe the most integral part of the entire team.


Runner Up-


Chris Johnson- Titans RB had 177 total yards in Tennessee 's overtime win against Green Bay.

Ray Rice- Ravens rookie RB rushed for 150 yards on 21 carries and TD in the Ravens 37-27 win over the Browns.

Kurt Warner- The "Comeback Player of the Year" in Arizona may very well be the MVP with more weeks like this. 324 yards on 23-of-34 passing, and two TD's. A remarkable story this season.


Defense-

Will Allen

Dolphins corner was lights out in Miami 's 26-17 win over Denver. Yes, we all know that Denver 's defense is terrible, but they still have a solid passing game. Allen in company kept that in check, picking off Jay Cutler three times. Allen's was taken back 32 yards for a TD. Denver 's big two receivers, Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal were held to 27 and 69 yards, respectively.

Runner Up-

John Abraham- Falcons DE would have won the award with his three sacks and a forced fumble. But he played the Raiders. Great, great game by Atlanta 's defense though.


BUST OF THE WEEK


JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders nearly redefined futility this weekend

Anything and Everything to do with the Oakland Raiders franchise

For the sake of those great fans in Oakland, I truly hope this is the bottom of the pit for them. What just happened on Sunday was about as embarrassing as it can get for an NFL team. I have been a maniac at saying that never would a college football team beat an NFL team, ever ever ever. But the Raiders team that played that first half was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen on an NFL field, and I think maybe a team like Texas or Texas Tech would have had a legit shot at beating the them. That's how bad it was folks. Negative yardage at the end of the first half for the Raiders. It is just unconscionable to believe any team of professionals could play this poorly. QB JaMarcus Russell is fast approaching Ryan Leaf level bust right now. He has statistically been the worst QB in football this season, and nothing the Raiders do can mask any of his short comings. Just totally and completely pathetic.



BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE WEEK

Bengals finally take home a Win


This has been a really rough road for the Bengals this season. It seems like 2005 was just yesterday when the playoff bound Bengals seemed on the doorstep of NFL prominence. But they have fallen on times as hard as any in the franchises often difficult history.


LEAST SUPRISING DEVELOPMENT


The Eagles are back in the hunt

I could probably just write the comments that are coming already about how I am too much a hometown boy or all I care about is the NFC East, but I am not the only one who feels that this is the NFL's best division. And the Eagles are back in contention should not be a shock to anyone following their impressive 26-7 win in Seattle . A healthy Eagles team can stay on the field with anyone in the NFL. The return on Brian Westbrook has help the Eagles offense find its rhythm again, and Donovan McNabb is once again reminding people why he is still the Eagles QB and Kevin Kolb remains on the bench. And defensively, after the Koren Robbinson 90-yard TD, the Eagles defense held Seattle to 143 yards the rest of the game. The Eagles road remains very rough. Too rough a road for a playoff birth in my opinion. But that they will be competing for a spot come December should not really be so shocking.



I'll see you folks next week. Good luck and have a good one.