Time for our look back at Week 8 in the NFL. Who was tricked and who was treated on Halloween weekend, and who starred on All Saints Day... hint, hint... and yes, I know Sunday was All Saints Day, not Monday, but that's all I've got to work with people!
Overrated Story of The Week: All Favre All The Time
-Is there another logical choice? Calling this the biggest regular season game of all-time gives hyperbole a bad name. But, of course, if #4 is involved, things tend to get ratcheted up a little bit on the hype machine. Favre's return to Green Bay was surprisingly subdued, but that doesn't mean it wasn't overrated. I will give credit to Fox though for keeping this game much more understated than the shamelessness that was the ESPN Monday Night Football production earlier this season. Besides Thom Brennaman's lecture at the end of the game that we can finally move on, it was well done.
However, that didn't stop various pundits from telling Green Bay fans what they should do. Saying that Brett Favre deserved a hero's welcome is pathetic. Does anyone not realize that Favre is in Minnesota for the sole purpose of sticking it to the Pack? Are fans just supposed to clap appreciatively? Seriously? Favre could care less about the Green Bay fans and what they think, so I was glad to see that they gave him the merciless booing he deserved. (On a side note, I had to explain to a fellow seminary student the facts today when he called Brett Favre a hero... Lord have mercy...). Oh, and Favre thinks that will be his last game in Lambeau, someone please make it stop. Thankfully, now that the Minny @ GB game is over, and the Earth hasn't been pelted with meteors, we can move on with the NFL and our lives, which leads us to....
Underrated Story Of The Week: The NFC Arms Race
OK, as regular readers know, we don't like Favre or his tactics, but we'll give credit to the old man where it's due. The Vikings are a darn good football team and #4 is a big reason why. Hey, we don't hold grudges here, we're nice people deep down. But, the real story behind Favreamania is the NFC Arms Race between New Orleans and Minnesota... more specifically, the race for homefield advantage. After seeing Minny be dominant for most of the game at Green Bay and watching Harvin, Favre, AP and the Williams Wall, I'm convinced that only the Saints are better right now.
And with New Orleans at 7-0 (more on them later) and Minny at 7-1, the race for homefield advantage starts now. Let's face it, both of these teams might be unbeatable at home, especially come January. The Super/Metro Domes are tough, tough places to win, and near impossible when the crowds are at fever pitch. Both of these teams could finish at least 14-2, and you can bet that they'll take every game seriously to make sure they play in their dome when it counts. Watch these two teams light it up in the next two months in anticipation of an epic showdown which might not only decide the NFC, but the Super Bowl Champion as well.
3 Stars:
3rd Star: Reggie Wayne (WR-Colts)
-We give a lot of love to Peyton Manning, but Reggie Wayne is the man. He led the Colts again in receiving this week catching a TD pass not from #18, but Joseph Addai. I've got a soft spot in my heart for Reg because we have the same childhood hero: all-time leading Saints WR Eric Martin. Me and Reggie Wayne have a lot more in common, except he puts up big days in real life, and I do it in Madden '08... yes, I went there.
2nd Star: Chris Johnson (RB-Titans)
-228 yards rushing for the best player in football that nobody thinks about. This guy is unbelievable in his ability to break it to the house, and finally it got Tennessee a win. As RSS fave Gus Johnson said, he's got "get away from the cops speed". Good for late night Comedy Central... not so much for a national network telecast.
1st Star: Teddy Ginn (WR-Dolphins)
-Teddy Ginn just gave a big finger wag to all the doubters setting NFL history on Sunday with 2 100+ yard TDs in the same game. The The Ohio State University grad (doesn't that look silly Buckeye fans?) had 2 100-yard plus kickoff return TDs in the 4th quarter to lead Miami to a win over the Jets, of course, all those criticisms of his stonehands remain...
Fab 5:
1. New Orleans
2. Minnesota
3. Indy
4. Denver
5. Cincinnati
-A thought about our rankings: The Saints stay at #1 with their interesting win over Atlanta, Denver drops to 4 after getting exposed in Baltimore. And, Minny jumps above Indy on the back of their big game win over Green Bay. Sure, Indy is still undefeated, but if they played today, who do you think would win? Minny would, so they slot in at #2. Cincy stays at #5 as the best of the 2 loss gang.
11 Random Observations:
1) The Saints won in spite of allowing a Michael Turner rebirth, a defensive TD, a sputtering 2nd half offense, and a series of unpredictable crazy events in the final 2 minutes. I'd say that's the mark of a good football team, wouldn't you?
2) Has Mike Tirico ever worked in sales? Good grief, I mean I was nervous enough as it was watching the Saints. I tend to go through violent mood swings and pace a lot, but I digress. Last night though, I was constantly annoyed with Tirico trying to sell me into thinking that the game was still competitive throughout the last 4 minutes. The guy was doing algorithms to find Atlanta a way back in the game. He might as well have said, "Please, please watch the rest of this game!!!"
3) 2nd MNF broadcast note. I'm a fan of Jon Gruden, but ease up a little with the nicknames. Drew Brees is now the surgeon, versatile tight ends are now jokers... and in the pregame Chuckie couldn't get out the words rehabilitate or recover to describe Drew Brees' shoulder and gave us resurgery. Brilliant!
4) I think I'm going to stop picking NFL games... or at least let Y2's adorable kittens Boo and Beaker pick them... they can't do any worse.
5) One of those picks was the Giants. D'oh! It seems like DeSean Jackson has a 50 yard TD every game these days, and that the Giants secondary gives up one every game. Two teams going in opposite directions. Maybe the Giants will keep falling after all.
6) Puppet GM George Kokomo was escorted out of the building in Cleveland as the walls start closing in on the Mangini Era. Maybe they should resign Charlie Frye to try and play QB? Bernie Kosar? The ghost of Otto Graham?? The Browns put me to sleep on Sunday, literally.
7) Congrats to St. Louis for beating Detroit! What a defining win for a franchise. Now may you both go the rest of the season winless.... Detroit has the experience, but St. Louis is still really bad. Oh the drama of the tank race for the #1 pick!
8) So, did Kurt Warner just feel bad for Jake Delhomme? Is there any other way to explain that 5 INT performance against the Panthers? Can we strip the automatic NFC West birth away this year?
9) I feel for the 49ers. They play two of the best games of the season at Minny and Indy and walk away with 2 losses. Maybe they're still one year away from really contending.
10) Slowly but surely, folks are getting back aboard the Cowboy bandwagon. Can't wait till they all jump off when Tony Romo starts throwing 3 INTs a game in December and January.
11) The allegations of Tom Cable's past abusive behavior towards women was troubling. While on one hand you have to question the timing of these accusations coming out years after, expect Roger "the Hammer" Goodell to have a chat with the Raiders coach in the near future. Hopefully this puts a spotlight on the domestic violence issues which have plagued the NFL, but hasn't gotten the same attention as dogfighting or shooting yourself in the leg.
What Happened In Week 8 That Will Change The Season: The Vince Young Era 2.0
Who was that man playing QB for the Titans on Sunday? After weeks of lobbying, Tennessee owner Bud Adams got his wish and saw VY back in the Titans lineup, and ya know what, he played pretty well. With Vince, the numbers are never going to be in the league of Manning, Brady, and Brees, but he can win games in other ways. For one week, Vince and the Titans could put behind them all of the turmoil and tumult that have surrounded this franchise. The curse of the terrible towel, the coach wearing a Colts jersey, and the psychological issues of the star QB could all be temporarily forgotten. Maybe this 0-6 start was the best thing for the player and the team. Vince can get a fresh start on a second chance and the team can build for next year with #10 at the helm. For a guy that's been through so much and been such an inspiring college player, I'm hoping the Vince Young Tennessee sequel has a happy ending.
Check back for our NCAA preview and the beginning of the Top 10 Games of the Decade Countdown! Oh yea, and we might say something about the World Series when all is said and done...
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