NFL General
Sunday Snide Remarks - Week 11 Late GamesNovember 17, 2008
Dallas Cowboys 14, Washington Redskins 10
- Marion Barber gave one of the great running back performances in the NFL this season. He rushed for 66 of his 114 yards in the fourth quarter and touched the ball on Dallas’s final 11 plays to ice the game. It was a season-saving effort from a gutsy leader.
- Terrell Owens had five receptions for 38 yards in this game. The physicality of the Washington defensive backs got to him a bit, but more than that, there was a lack of continuity between Tony Romo and all of his wide receivers. It’s worth noting that Owens has now gone five straight games without topping the…
Sunday Snide Remarks - Week 11 Early GamesNovember 17, 2008
Philadelphia Eagles 13, Cincinnati Bengals 13
- Tie game – it’s annoying, I know. But one tie every six years isn’t so bad. I’d rather see every overtime game end in a tie than see the NFL ever refer to the ridiculous Kansas City Overtime format.
- The story of this game may be what Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said afterwards: “When the (final) play was called, I kind of figured I guess there’s ties in the NFL. But no, I didn’t know that (before).” What!? For starters, does McNabb watch football on TV? Or, does he listen when the referee explains the overtime rules prior to the fifth quarter kickoff? Or, more…
How to fix “Roughing the Passer”November 14, 2008
The din from complaining about the NFL’s enforcement of personal fouls for violent play has increased this season – most notably on roughing the passer. Fans are booing louder and longer. Television commentators, who, as a whole, normally praise the NFL at every opportunity, are griping more vociferously. And players are starting to speak out.
A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh Steelers enforcer Troy Polamalu said that football “just loses so much of its essence when it becomes like a pansy game.” (He wasn’t referring strictly to roughing the passer rules.) Polamalu added, “It has more to do with money and not really with our safety.”
He’s right. And what’s wrong with that? Money…
Podcast - Week 11 GamePodsNovember 12, 2008
Andy Benoit offers previews on all the Week 11 NFL action.
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Week 11 Power RankingsNovember 11, 2008
32. Detroit Lions (0-9)
More than halfway to history.
31. Oakland Raiders (2-7)
It takes a special team to find a way to lose when the opposing quarterback is 7/27 passing with four interceptions.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)
If they could have fallen to 1-9 on their bye week, they would have.
29. St. Louis Rams (2-7)
It’d be hard to get down 40-0 at halftime even if you were trying to throw the game.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-8)
They don’t win games, but you have to admire the way they’ve competed as of late.
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-7)
Playing Matt Hasselbeck at this point is the bonehead move of the year if the QB’s back…
Sunday Snide Remarks - Week 10 Early GamesNovember 10, 2008
Minnesota Vikings 28, Green Bay Packers 27
- Adrian Peterson! Adrian Peterson! Adrian Peterson!
- And on the flip side of that, No Cullen Jenkins! No Cullen Jenkins! No Cullen Jenkins!
- The only negative on Peterson’s afternoon was his fumble on a failed fourth-and-one attempt midway through the fourth quarter. And really, the negative there is on Brad Childress for listening to his runner and changing his mind about doing the wise thing, which was punting.
- Mike McCarthy made a huge blunder in settling for a 52-yard field goal. The Packers had enough time to try to get the ball closer, but McCarthy chose to make it tough on his kicker, Mason Crosby. Yes, Crosby…
Sunday Snide Remarks - Week 10 Late GamesNovember 10, 2008
New York Giants 36, Philadelphia Eagles 31
- Andy Reid plain got out-coached by Tom Coughlin in this game. Besides calling failed back-to-back handoffs on Philadelphia’s final possession, Reid made the inexcusable error of wasting his first challenge out of desperation on the first Brandon Jacobs non-fumble near the goal-line. I’ll never understand why some coaches challenge out of sheer hope for a miracle.
- Speaking of Jacobs’s non-fumble, how many guys fumbled after being down by contact in this game? It seemed like every other play there was a non-fumble.
- When Brandon Jacobs gets a full head of steam, he is the most difficult player to stop in all of football.
- Not…
NFL Midseason All-Pro TeamNovember 7, 2008
Offense
The running game has been huge in football this season, but everything still begins and ends with the QB (Cowboys fans know what I’m talking about). The trendy All-Pro pick is Kerry Collins. People love to righteously condemn others for calling Collins a game manager. “He’s much more than a game manager,” they proclaim. Well, no he’s not. Look at the numbers: 154 yards passing per game, three touchdowns, three interceptions. Collins epitomizes the game manager.
I want a quarterback who can carry his team to victory. Give me Drew Brees. The Saints QB is posting huge numbers and making the best and most consistent reads in football. His intelligence and…
Podcast - NFL Touchdown Spotlight Week 10November 5, 2008
Andy Benoit discusses the logistics of the NFL Network Thursday Night schedule.
Click play to listen (Firefox users click audio icon).
Podcast: Week 10 GamePodsNovember 5, 2008
Quick-hitting run down of all the Week 10 action in the NFL, including the Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns NFL Network game, and the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants.
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