We're now only three weeks of the away from the end of the regular season as the playoff push is heating up in December. The Colts and the Saints remain undefeated while some of the other power players suffered big losses. So what are the stories that everyone is and should be talking about from Week 14? Only RSS tells it like it is!
Underrated Story of The Week: Is Bill Belichick Losing Control?
-Much like a lunar eclipse, the cyclical conversations about Randy Moss quitting on his team are back! Moss only had 1 catch and lost a fumble in an underwhelming win at home against the Panthers. More damning though is the comments by DB Chris Gamble saying that the Panthers knew that Moss would quit if they played him tough early. Ouch. Of course, that performance came off the heels of Moss being sent home earlier in the week for being late to a meeting in blizzard-like conditions (LB Adalius Thomas was sat out Sunday for speaking out against Belichick's decision).
But, the real story here are the first chinks in the Hoodie's armor. Randy Moss isn't supposed to quit on Bill Belichick, is he? Adalius Thomas isn't supposed to break protocol and speak out against the hoodie, is he? Bill Belichick's Patriots aren't supposed to be struggling to put away the competition in the weak AFC East, are they? This season has the look of one where the Patriots are becoming human (last year minus Brady aside). Maybe we can look back on the infamous 4th and 2 play as the turning point of the Pats dynasty. Are the Patriots really the Patriots if Moss quits on his team, Belichick makes poor decisions, and the defense gets ripped to pieces by elite teams? They might make the playoffs, but this team doesn't have the look of one making a long January run, even if they finish strong against weak opponents.
Barely Overrated Story Of The Week: What Will The Unbeatens Do?
-The talk revolving the 13-0 Saints and Colts is how the teams will handle their remaining 3 games. The Colts franchise seems like it will sacrifice the pursuit of history to rest players for the playoffs (even though that strategy has proved faulty in the past). The Saints, on the other hand, seem to be embracing the undefeated talk a little more and going for it. Of course, they have the Vikings breathing down their neck which helps them to play hard in the final 3. While this conversation is fascinating because we've never had 2 13-0 teams before in the same season, and they have two different philosophies, it doesn't do justice to what they have accomplished so far. In the 24/7 sports landscape, its important to take a brief moment to sit back and recognize how special it is to have 2 13-0 teams in the same season. That's why this story is just barely overrated.
3 Stars:
3rd Star: DeSean Jackson (WR-Eagles)
-6 catches and 178 yards for a TD and an electrifying 72 yd punt return TD led the Eagles to a big win over the G-Men. Jackson has as many 50 yard TDs than anyone in a single season in NFL history. He is turning into one of the most dangerous and exciting players in the NFL.
2nd Star: Chris Johnson (RB-Titans)
-The Titan superstar had another huge day with 176 total yards surpassing 2000 yards on the season. He still has a chance to get 2000 rushing yards which would be a huge achievement. It's a shame that Johnson's greatness is happening so far under the radar for a 6-7 team that plays in Nashville.
1st Star: Brandon Marshall (WR-Broncos)
-If you break a record, you get the RSS 1st Star! Marshall's 21 catches for 200 yards broke TO's record of 20 set a while back when he played in San Francisco. (Y2 is breathing a sigh of relief because that record was set against the Bears) It's a cool record, but it did happen in a loss against the unbeaten Colts.
Fab 5:
1. Indy
1. New Orleans
3. Minny
4. San Diego
5. Philly
-A thought about our rankings: Our first change in the rankings in a couple weeks sees Philly replace the Bengals at #5. Surprisingly, it's Carson Palmer who is holding the Bengals back a little bit, maybe that AFC North sweep isn't so impressive with Pittsburgh and Baltimore struggling in recent weeks. Philly has been much more dynamic in recent weeks than the sputtering Bengals.
11 Random Observations:
1) The Saints win against Atlanta was a little too close for comfort. As a Saints fan, the D has been a concern in recent weeks. Darren Sharper especially looked old on Sunday and stopping the run has been an issue. But, if they continue to make plays down the stretch like Jonathan Vilma did, they can keep doing enough to help the offense win games.
2) The Colts meanwhile had a relatively easy win against the Broncos in spite of Peyton Manning's 3 INTs. It was unspectacular, but it was relatively straight foward. Again, this is the NFL, not the BCS. Why do people get caught up with how these teams look win they keep winning? Would you rather be the mediocre Texans or a team like Detroit or Cleveland right now?
3) One more great Colts/Saints note... check out Reggie Bush calling out the putred Skip Bayless here. Still think the Cowboys are the best NFC team Skippy?
4) Another December, another losing streak for the Boys. Even if they lose 2 of 3, it's not a sure thing that they will miss the playoffs with the Giants having a one game lead and two tough road games against resurgent Washington and Minnesota. Something tells me that Dallas might go the extra mile and lose all 3 of their remaining games to get the job done!
5) Mike Tomlin did unleash hell on Thursday night. He unleashed hell on Browns fans by giving Eric Mangini ammunition to argue for staying as head coach of the Browns. Nice job Steelers.
6) Breaking news this morning though that Mike Holmgren is in Cleveland for talks with owner Randy Lerner. This would be a godsend for the Browns franchise. They should throw whatever power, money, keys to the city, or anything else it takes to get Holmgren and whoever in and the current clowns out. The first silly season domino may be falling.
7) Another close game for the Bears, another one that Jay Cutler let get away. Cutler threw a huge pick in the 4th quarter that gave the game to the Pack like a neatly wrapped Christmas gift. It's clear that the receivers are young and inexperienced and Cutler isn't alone in his screw ups though. Get him a veteran WR in the offseason.
8) Arizona's 7 turnovers on Monday night cost them a chance to clinch a division title against the Niners. They'll still win the division of course, but with such an up and down season you have to wonder if they're more equipped for a deep playoff run or a quick exit.
9) Remember when the Lions were turning a corner? Now they're 2-11 after a 45 point loss in Baltimore. Although, I suppose that is turning a corner from 0-16. Surprisingly, the worst team of the last 3 years though is St. Louis with a whopping 6 wins! Yikes.
*For the rest of the season we'll save our last 2 observations to take a look at the AFC and NFC Playoff Picture! Here's our predictions with 3 weeks to go...
AFC:
1) Indy 14-2
2) San Diego 12-4
3) New England 11-5
4) Cincinnati 11-5
5) Denver 10-6
6) Baltimore 10-6
7) Jacksonville 9-7
8) Miami 9-7
9) Jets 8-8
NFC:
1) New Orleans 16-0
2) Minnesota 14-2
3) Philadelphia 12-4
4) Arizona 11-5
5) Green Bay 11-5
6) New York Giants 9-7
7) Dallas 8-8
What Happened In Week 14 That Will Change The Season: The NFC East Takes Shape
-The division that gets the most attention from the East Coast media and Cowboy lovers all over the country was legitimately the big story in the NFL this week. The Eagles seem to have the mojo going at the right time (again), the Giants are up and down (again), and the Cowboys are on a December losing streak (again). Wow, the more things change the more they stay the same, eh? Truly though, teams like Atlanta and Chicago have to be kicking themselves over the missed opportunity this season to get a Wild Card berth. The Eagles have the look of a contender, especially with the connection of McNabb to Jackson. To hold up in the playoffs though, they'll need Brian Westbrook and their tough D back. The Giants and Eli Manning look to be back to their pre-Super Bowl ways... but they're still better than the pathetic Cowboys. Even though Dallas has a 1 game lead, I would be shocked if they actually won one of their last 3 games (@NO, @WSH, vPHI) and made the playoffs. The only question that will remain in Dallas is who Jerry Jones will get to coach next year.
Check back for the next round of the YCS Playoffs and check out our Top 10 D'oh Moments of the Decade, as seen on SI's Hot Clicks! Also, do us a favor and follow us on Twitter why don't ya by clicking on the link at the upper right of the page. Bye for now...
No comments:
Post a Comment