1. SB’s doggone Wallabies are my nemesis. They have three wins. Two of them came at my expense.
2. NFL strategic thinking may be at an all-time low. The Lions were running all over the Vikings but throughout the game Joey Harrington couldn’t find a wide receiver to save his life. Down by three with five minutes left, what did they do? Pass-pass-pass, (actually four pass plays called with the false start penalty) for a total of -12 yards. The Vikings, on the other hand, did the right thing by running the ball into the line three times and burning two minutes off the clock. Even with an almost non-existent defense, giving the ball to a quarterback who’s only thrown for 91 yards with less than two minutes left and no time-outs is an excellent call.
3. Michael Vick: still overrated. He’s not a bad quarterback. I never said that, I just said that he is not even a star, still less a superstar. Sure, he can run well, but I’ll take Drew Brees over him any day. The NFL’s marketing people are always enamoured of a black quarterback who can run the ball, but they don’t win championships. Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb and Steve McNair all became much more effective quarterbacks once they learned to run only when necessary.
4. 14-2 on the picks. Not bad at all, but it was an easy week. Didn’t even win the picks pool with that. I would have gone 15-1 if I’d been paying attention and realized Denny was playing the QB-shuffle. Obviously Chokechain is holding me back.
5. I still don’t quite buy the Pony Express. The history of overpowering offenses winning it all is not exactly a good one, take it from someone who watched every minute of the ’98 Vikings. Too bad the Colts aren’t still in the AFC East so we could get a second chance to see how they match up with New England. Also, I think Pittsburgh might stone them while pulling a Parcells and keeping the ball out of Peyton’s hands, especially if they get the Colts at home.
6. Is Chucky a good coach or not? I have no idea. Maybe he and Brian Griese simply needed to find each other. But why does Brad Johnson always find disfavor in his coaches eyes? I mean, this dates back to college ball. I, for one, was FURIOUS when Denny kept Randall instead of Brad, then he gets shafted by the Redskins – who haven’t won since – wins a Super Bowl in Tampa with an excellent QB rating and still somehow finds himself on the bench again. I wouldn’t blame him if he has developed a persecution complex the size of Warren Sapp’s ego.
7. Speaking of Warren Sapp, where did he go? Or the rest of the Raiders, for that matter.
8. Bill Parcells is out of magic. The Cowboys were probably doomed anyhow, but the failure to pick up Stephen Jackson in the draft ensured their failure. Eventually, a lack of talent will do you in.
9. The Sports Guy is wise beyond his years. In week 2, he said that eventually everyone would realize that even with Priest Holmes, Kansas City is a bad team. The Chiefs are now 3-7.
10. The countdown on Mike Martz starts now. I strongly suspect he’s one of those coaches who has been promoted beyond his capability. A brilliant offensive coordinator does not necessarily make a great coach. However, once he gets fired, I’d try very, very hard to hire him as an offensive coordinator if I were a GM. Assuming, of course, that his ego could handle the demotion. As far as Haslett goes, he may not survive the week after last week’s bomb.