Week 9 musings...

[off_the_wall]

Who would have guessed that Alex Smith would turn into a legit starting QB ?

San Fran is 5 games up in the division with 8 left to play.

AFC West. Any team that gets any sort of consistency will win this division.

Indy now with firm grasp on the 1st pick.

Speaking of 1st overall in the draft, supposedly the asking price to move up for Luck would be 3-first rounders and 2-second rounders per ESPN Countdown.

The week after I said WR Julio Jones was M.I.A., he goes off for 131 yards and 2 TD's.

So much for Cincy being bottom feeders. Granted their schedule hasn't been awfully tough (wins over Indy, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Seattle and Tennessee) but 6-2, is still 6-2. Next week the big test as they play Pittsburgh.

When the San Diego owner says QB Philip Rivers is having an off-year, that speaks volumes.

Cleveland run-defense after Houston runs for 261 yards. :bag:

Mario Manningham's TD celebration cost his team 15 yards on the kick-off, and nearly the game, in one of the dumber moves of the day. Speaking of dumb moves, how do the Giants take a delay of game when they are on the New England 2-yard line ?

Combined records of Jim and John Harbaugh, 13-3.

How is QB Colt McCoy only averaging 5.7 yards per attempt this season ? I can average that, I think.

Why does QB Tony Romo still insist on diving head-first ?

Sit back and marvel, QB Aaron Rodgers current play is the stuff of legend.

Seeing Saints DB Tracy Porter get carted off the field, is something I never like to see.

[Cobain's Ghost]

muse on this!

[revo]

- Eli's comeback vs. New England was his 2nd best comeback of his career, coincidentally also vs. New England

- Jake Ballard has made everyone forget whatshisname, who was never remotely close to being good enough to be considered to be irreplaceable

- if Tim Tebow was turned into a RB, he'd be a 1,300-yard rusher

- this has been a great year to own Green Bay receivers not named Donald Driver

- SF has become an elite team, but Vernon Davis has seemingly dropped from the elite ranks

- speaking of tight ends, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski have overhauled the entire division

- you know it's a tough season when pundits applaud Chris Johnson for rushing for 64 yards

- say what you want about the Packers offense, but it will be their strikingly-poor defense that will be their undoing.

- Detroit has the #3 ranked D and #4 ranked O. Amazing.

- KC still somehow sits atop the AFC West with a horrendous -70 point differential, the 3rd worst mark in the NFL. The other two (Indy & STL) combine for a 1-17 record. Can you say "Smoke & mirrors?"

- Ben Tate and Arian Foster are becoming quite the one-two punch

- although no one will beat Cam Newton, Andy Dalton deserves serious props for Rookie of the Year

[Erik]

So much for Cincy being bottom feeders. Granted their schedule hasn't been awfully tough (wins over Indy, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Seattle and Tennessee) but 6-2, is still 6-2. Next week the big test as they play Pittsburgh.

Wake me up when they play the Steelers and Ravens.

[Erik]

it will be their strikingly-poor defense that will be their undoing.

You keep beating this drum. Most NFL defenses are poor, compared to a few years ago. They might lose a game or two, but I'd rather be in their shoes than anyone else's.

[revo]

You keep beating this drum. Most NFL defenses are poor, compared to a few years ago. They might lose a game or two, but I'd rather be in their shoes than anyone else's.

And you keep beating this one -- what does this mean, exactly? When you say "most defenses are poor compared to a few years ago," doesn't that mean some are not? How about Baltimore or San Francisco? SF is allowing 14.8 ppg -- isn't that two TDs no matter how you slice it? In 2003, for example, New England's #1 ranked D also allowed just 14.8 ppg. The 2000 Ravens team, considered by many to have the best ever defense, allowed just 3 ppg less than this year's Niners -- by no means an all-time great unit.

You can criticize it all you want, the fact remains Green Bay's pass defense has been pathetic and if they continue this way, Green Bay would have the worst defense ever to win a Super Bowl.

[Hammer]

Teams pass against the Packers all day so of course those numbers are going to be inflated. Its hard to keep running the ball when youre down double-digits.

[Erik]

It means that thanks to the league implementing rules that makes it much more difficult to hit quarterbacks and receivers without penalty, defenses are giving up many more yards than they used to. It was exacerbated this year because the lockout robbed teams of preparation and practice time. The Packers D isn't playing great, but neither is that of almost any other team. Baltimore and SF are among the very few exceptions, and their success does not disprove my point. By contrast, no one has shown that they can outscore the Packers. The Eagles might be able to do it if they play the rest of the season like they did against Dallas, but otherwise, the Packers O is like a Madden expert playing on Beginner level.

Also, I previously made the point that Hammer did. Part of the reason for the Packers' defensive stats is that teams throw on the Packers because they can't run on them because they're far behind and need to play catch-up. They're not playing lights-out, but nor are they as bad as the stats suggest.

[chancellor]

The Packers have some deep defensive problems. The risk, of course, is that Rodgers has an off game, and the offense simply can't score enough to make up for the points the defense gives up. As a Packer fan, here's what I see:

- Ryan Pickett is having a terrible year. He's never been a great pass rusher, but now he's being neutralized in man to man blocking almost every play. The other DE's are mediocre; Walden has a bit of promise if they move him to DE and away from OLB, even though he's light for a 3-4 DE. Double team Raji, and chip Matthews and the Pack has almost no pass rush.
- Dom Capers stubbornness in exposing LBs in man coverage is killing them on intermediate routes. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bishop can't cover premier TEs in man coverage, but Capers keeps leaving him out there. If Norv Turner had a brain, Gates may have had 200 yards receiving yesterday.
- Woodson can not press cover or handle man coverage against premier receivers anymore. He's still a great ball hawk, and has incredible instincts, but it's clear his declining speed is beginning to expose him against good receivers.
- Traymon Williams is still playing hurt.
- Sam Shields has hit a development wall, and simply isn't getting any better this year.
- I realize turnovers are important, but Packer tackling has regressed badly with too many guys trying to tackle the ball and not enough tackling players with the ball.

All in all, the Packer defense is playing pretty badly. I didn't expect them to be the Ravens or anything, but I also didn't expect them to have to survive shootouts in four of these games.

[onejayhawk]

- Jake Ballard has made everyone forget whatshisname, who was never remotely close to being good enough to be considered to be irreplaceable
Starting him in one league

- if Tim Tebow was turned into a RB, he'd be a 1,300-yard rusher
Nah. Not enough speed. 1400 combined maybe.

- SF has become an elite team, but Vernon Davis has seemingly dropped from the elite ranks
No he hasnt. He is just used more as a blocker, where he is undisputed king

- speaking of tight ends, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski have overhauled the entire division
When did they get in the same division?

- Detroit has the #3 ranked D and #4 ranked O. Amazing.
Impact players have an impact, hence the name.

- KC still somehow sits atop the AFC West with a horrendous -70 point differential, the 3rd worst mark in the NFL. The other two (Indy & STL) combine for a 1-17 record. Can you say "Smoke & mirrors?"
I tend to discount the 89-10 for the first two weeks, but this week is harder to explain. THey have rolled over three times, against teams they stacked up against on paper.

- Ben Tate and Arian Foster are becoming quite the one-two punch
If the they are only "becoming", what will be the sign they have arrived?

- although no one will beat Cam Newton, Andy Dalton deserves serious props for Rookie of the Year
And 2011 was supposed to be a bad one for QBs

I have that thought that Alex Smith was getting a basd rap for a while. The dreaded game manager gets no respect.

Does anyone think that the Colts will not take Luck? Didnt think so.

After a ton of excitement early, some teams have come back to the pack. Lets hear it for the exceptions: SF and Detroit

If you think the Chiefs are doing it with mirrors, look at their next 6. Denver is winnable, then @NE, Pitt, @ Chi, @NYJ, GB. If they win 2 they are showing something.

This seems to be my year for losing close ones. I needed 13 points from Forte, and got 11. Had I gone with Freeman over Schaub, I am tied for 3rd. Instead, tied for 8th.

J