SB Nation - LaMarr Woodley

Pregame Zone Blitz: Packers at Steelers

ncoolong — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:59:04 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Here's another piece of mail for Mr. Ryan Clark.

Hello, Mr. Clark. I must say I'm a big fan of yours. Always have been. Definitely one of the better free agents this team has picked up in several years. While you've consistently been a great fit for our defense and an inspiration for the fans, I must say I'm somewhat disappointed with your recent tirade about the media treating you unfairly, and no one outside the team being able to understand what's going on.

I fully admit, those inside the locker room can paint a more accurate picture as to what is going on inside that locker room. Could you, maybe, help us with that, since we don't know anything? I mean, let's be honest. You guys aren't exactly playing at a high level. I watch every game twice and pour over statistics, replays and analysis. All I can come up with is the fact you guys aren't playing well. Your suggestion that I don't know anything is acceptable. So what am I missing?

If I'm not missing anything, and I'm, at best, only entitled to my opinion, I'm going to stick with "you aren't playing well."

Please prove me wrong this week. You've got a helluva task in front of you. That Packers offense is pretty potent. Feel free to make the game-winning interception (you guys haven't had a pick in like six games) or the show-stopping hit, and dance for the camera, telling me how wrong I've been.

Seems like a fair trade-off, right?

Thanks, Ryan! Good luck!

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

Brandon with the Acme Packing Company says Green Bay and Pittsburgh are headed in two different directions than they were after Week 8.

Pittsburgh's looking to play spoiler on the Packers this week.

Green Bay has held teams under 90 net rushing yards 10 times this year.

The Green Bay Gazette has a nice look at Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers

Last Game

From the start, it felt like it'd be the same thing we had seen for the last four weeks.

It didn't fail to disappoint. Well, no more than usual, at least.

Somehow, the Browns turned into a defensive group that resembled the 1985 Bears, and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger felt pressure the likes of which he hasn't seen all year. More missed tackles, more blown coverages, it was just a nightmarish game.

Ironically, in a season where the Steelers can't find a way to compete in the fourth quarter, the sagging AFC can't find a way to put the Steelers away. A Jacksonville loss Thursday against Indianapolis, Pittsburgh remains alive in the playoff hunt. Of course, they'll have to win their final three games, and all of them are against playoff-caliber teams.

But then again, after losses to Cleveland, Oakland and Kansas City, maybe playing a good team is exactly what the Steelers need.

Opponent Spotlight: QB Aaron Rodgers

PZB went with the draft-jilted QB last week, Brady Quinn, over a slew of other players who ended up having better games than Quinn did with his 90 yards passing. We're gonna tab another QB who suffered the "embarrassment" of sitting around at the NFL draft, taken much later than they or their agents planned.

In case you didn't hear it, and unless you live in Kreplakistan, you did, Rodgers replaced BRETT FAVRE in Green Bay. The Packers haven't really looked back since, and Rodgers is putting to rest any issues with the previous passer at Lambeau. He's at worst top 10 in every major passing category, and he's been red hot during the Packers current five-game winning streak.

In those five games, he has nine touchdowns to just two interceptions, and considering the Steelers haven't had an interception during their five-game losing streak, Rodgers should feel plenty secure throwing the football, even in the adverse weather conditions he's likely to face.

Not only that, but the Packers' offensive line, which played terribly in their first nine games (43 sacks allowed), has given up seven in their last four games. Much of that is on Rodgers' improvement in terms of pocket feel and knowing when to get rid of the ball, but their line has been beaten up, and it seems as if they've now found a combination with which they can protect their Pro Bowl passer.

In a great match-up of premier QBs, at the very least, we know who the fans like more.

Steelers Spotlight: OLB James Harrison

Conversely to the Packers ramped-up passing attack, the Steelers have fallen off a bit in terms of sacks.

This is the kind of game where Harrison will pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. He's been shut out his last three games, much of which was the result of short three-step-and-throw offenses (Baltimore and Cleveland in particular also have strong offensive tackles). Rodgers likes to get the ball down the field, and while Harrison has been as disruptive as always, to give the Steelers a chance, he's going to have to be responsible for backing the Packers up 30 yards over the course of the game.

Harrison is as relentless as anyone in the league, and the Packers' tackles, although they've ramped up their game in the past few weeks, are still among the weaker pass blockers Harrison will have seen this season. LT Chad Clifton didn't allow a sack or a pressure last week against Chicago, but gave up a few QB hits and pressures to Baltimore in Week 12. He's going to have his hands full with Harrison (in most cases, literally, because the best defense on Harrison is to hold him).

I See You

I see you, LaMarr Woodley. You've been the defensive show-stopper in the second half of the season, piling up at least one sack in each of your past five games. After a "slow" start in terms of sacks, you've jumped up to nine overall, one behind Harrison for the team lead.

Your effort has always been there, but even better, you've always kept your head up, never losing confidence or moving your eyes off your assignment each play. As Coach LeBeau always says, it's not about sacks, it's about pressure. Pressure leads to turnovers. It should, anyway. You and the rest of the defensive front seven have forced plenty of turnovers, it's just that our defensive secondary isn't catching them.

The good news is, LaMarr, we know you'll ride your current hot streak with the same even and balanced approach you were riding when you only had two sacks in the first seven games. Teams are paying less attention to you, now, and more to Harrison. This is the kind of match-up where both of you guys can get 2+ sacks.

Key Stats

Green Bay is +18 in turnover differential.
Pittsburgh is -5.
Green Bay clinches a playoff berth with a win today and a Giants loss at Washington

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

10 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, left, avoids the tackle of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Marshall had 21 receptions for 200 yards in the game. The Colts defeated the Broncos 28-16. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Christmas is coming - and I, for one, am hoping for a much more joyous holiday season than I experienced last December. All I got for Christmas last year was the Broncos' historic collapse, and all I had to give was the one scenario that could possibly be worse than the season-ending Chargers game (it involved hypothetically cutting an apple, slipping, and stabbing myself in the groin WHILE watching that game).

I'm not much for moral victories, but today in Donny Deutschland, I will talk about why I feel better about Sunday's loss than I have about any Broncos loss in years. There's no time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. I learned on Sunday that what I suspected was the case, was in fact, the case. That is, the Broncos can play with Indianapolis, at Indianapolis. It happened a little differently than I thought it would, but the Broncos competed, and got back in the game after getting down in really ugly fashion. Consider these statistics, as I pretend that I care about statistics for a moment. The Broncos outgained Indianapolis 357-312. They held the ball for 31:27, versus the Colts' 28:33. They won the turnover battle 3-1. The Broncos advanced into Colts territory on 8 of 12 posessions. These measures would tend to indicate victory, but in this case, the Broncos fell a little short.

For next time, we can internalize a few thoughts:

a. The Broncos have the players and schemes to cover the Colts receivers, pressure Peyton Manning, and generally disrupt their offense.

b. The Broncos have the players and schemes to move the ball at will against the Colts defense.

c. As a fan base, we all mistakenly thought to ourselves "Here we go again" when the Colts got up 21-0 after four possessions. We can take this game as a lesson that the past doesn't indicate the future. Those Broncos teams which got their doors blown off by the Colts passing game are definitely not these Broncos.

One general concern is that the Broncos could have run the ball better, and will need to next time. I felt the run scheme was too zone-heavy and horizontal, and it played into the Colts' plan to run-blitz the gaps. A smaller, faster team needs to be man-blocked with a vertical scheme. Those are guys you don't necessarily want moving laterally, because they're comfortable doing so.

The other concern is that at money time, Dallas Clark needed more and better attention. Josh Barrett needed to be on the field manning him up, because he's the best guy in the NFL at covering TEs man-to-man.

All in all, I am proud of the way the Broncos stayed in the game, despite some reasons that lesser men would take to quit. This was really a game which turned on a few plays, and I am pleased to know that the Broncos can compete with Indianapolis, unlike in past years. This week, it's the Raiders, and luckily, JaMarcus Russell will be under center again. Expect Elvis Dumervil to get some shots at him. The Broncos can take care of business at home, and position themselves well to make the postseason. Happy Raiders Week, friends.

2. Information From My Eyes, Broncos at Colts:

a. Andre' Goodman got beat on a crossing route by Pierre Garcon on the first offensive play of the game, and in the moment, I wondered if there was a major speed mismatch. Goodman settled down to play Garcon spectacularly the rest of the game, breaking up four well-thrown balls. Goodman has been terrific all year, but I'd call this his best game as a Bronco.

b. When the Broncos drafted Darcel McBath, I'd never heard of him. I'm very impressed with his play as a rookie, though, and he had a fantastic game Sunday. He separated Dallas Clark from the ball on a 3rd down, and also baited Peyton Manning into his third interception. It's a real bummer that he broke his forearm and is gone for the season, but he showed well when he got the opportunities. I look for him to make a serious run at Renaldo Hill's starting job next season.

c. I really "misunderestimated" the Colts' DTs, Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson. They both played fantastic, and drove the Broncos' interior players backward consistently.

d. Ryan Clady didn't play very well in the running game, which was a departure from what we've been seeing lately. He got pushed backward several times when he lost leverage, and he misread a few run blitzes, and didn't hit the right guy. He's young and growing, and we can only hope he learns from this game.

e. Brandon Marshall was spectacular, of course. It's obvious that Kyle Orton really trusts him to make plays at this point. I wish he trusted Eddie Royal a little more, though. The truth is, though, Royal hasn't come up with some plays when he's had chances to do so.

f. I was happy to see Jabar Gaffney back in the mix this week. He's a pro's pro, and the Broncos offense is better when he is involved.

g. I was pleased with what I saw from Robert Ayers and Elvis Dumervil, despite the Broncos' lack of sacks. Both played well against the run, and generated pressure against Manning.

h. Peyton Hillis isn't a very good lead blocker, and I think a key part of the trouble the running game had was with the loss of Spencer Larsen. Larsen has been knocking heads the last two weeks, and he wasn't there this time, obviously.

Hillis is a good RB, but he's a true HB, not a FB. The truth is, he is where he should be on the depth chart; the third RB for the Broncos. Zappa said that some DP posters were calling for Knowshon Moreno to be benched, and Hillis to get the starting job. That's not going to happen, and frankly, it's asinine. Hillis could get more opportunity to make plays, but he deserves to be behind Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. There's no question in my mind of that.

i. The Colts' last drive was enabled by missed tackles by Vonnie Holliday (first play of the series) and Mario Haggan (3rd down inside the Broncos 10).

j. Oh, Dallas Clark. Ty Law did a good job on him, but he often was assigned to cover Austin Collie. Wesley Woodyard is a good zone player, but he can't cover a Clark in man-to-man. That 4th-and-4 was badly schemed, because Brian Dawkins shouldn't be manned up on Clark, either.

Finally, at the end of the game, the approach should have been to look at the formation. The power was left, and the only receiving threat was Clark, playing with his hand down on the right side. You need somebody to drive him straight into the ground, so he can't get out in the pattern. That's how I would coach that situation, anyway. Tackle him when he pretends to block, without getting called for holding.

k. D.J. Williams had a very good game, except for the one stupid penalty. Darrell Reid got (another) one of those too, while we're at it.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games

a. I thought Thursday's Browns-Steelers game was pretty riveting, and I almost wish I went (but not quite). Several of my friends tried to get me to go, because everybody in the world was trying to dump their tickets. It was 12 degrees, with 50 mph winds, and felt negative-7 in Cleveland that night. That's a recipe for freezing your hind-parts off, as Omar would say.

The Browns are changing for the better, and I wonder if it saves Eric Mangini's job. They're doing some very interesting things, like using Mike Furrey at FS. He's played both ways in his career, but has been more of a WR in the NFL, and caught 98 passes for the Lions in 2006, which was second in the NFL.

He did some nice things at Safety in the game, and it reminded me of Troy Brown playing defense for the Patriots, though, as I mentioned, Furrey has played defense at the professional level. You have to be impressed with a player doing what it takes to help his team win.

b. A guy who I have always liked, who the Browns found for free is Matt Roth. He got on the wrong side of Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano in Miami, and they put him on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, and then waived him in November. The Browns smartly claimed him, and he's played very well for the Browns thus far. The Sam position in a 3-4 is pretty hard to fill, because it's a unique skill set. Lamarr Woodley and Mario Haggan are both very good at it, and Adalius Thomas used to be, but like RT on offense, there are a lot more average 3-4 Sams than there are good ones. Roth is a good one, because he sets the edge well, and generates a good pass rush when he's called upon to do so. Finding a guy like him in-season is what a bad team has to do.

c. Two unheralded guys who the Browns have discovered on offense are RB Chris Jennings and TE Evan Moore. Jennings won a Grey Cup recently with the Montreal Alouettes, and looked like the best back on the Browns roster last Thursday. He ran with power and explosion against an excellent run defense.

I meant to mention Moore last week and forgot; but I know a football player when I see one, and he's a player. He was a big WR at Stanford for 4 years, and also played basketball for his first 2 years. His fluidity, body control, and overall athleticism jump off the screen, and really remind me of Antonio Gates. I don't know if he's as fast as Gates, but he looks to me like he could definitely be a Brent Celek-caliber receiving TE. He's been key to Brady Quinn's recent improvement, because Quinn does his best throwing work inside the numbers.

Jennings and Moore are two players who the Browns can be very excited about, as they figure out what their program is during the offseason. Like Roth, they came with no significant cost. Now the Browns just need to nail their offseason.

d. I had a friend who is a Steelers fan ask me what was wrong with his team, and I think I may have disappointed him by not having a real definitive answer ready. It's kind of a tough question to answer, really, because Mike Tomlin had it exactly right when he said it was a function of struggles in all three phases of the game.

The defense really misses Troy Polamalu, who I think might be the most irreplaceable defensive player in the NFL. No safety plays with the speed of Polamalu, and the Steelers are much more conservative in their blitz packages without him. Their CBs are also playing pretty poorly over the last five games. On offense, I think the Steelers play-calling has been suspect. Rashard Mendenhall has emerged as a good RB, and the Steelers seem reluctant to commit to letting him run. I'm not surprised at the rumblings Sunday that some offensive coaches are likely going to get whacked after the season.

e. Now, on to why the Browns won Thursday. There were two reasons. One reason is that Joshua Cribbs is a great football player, and he carried his team on offense and special teams. The other is that the Browns covered the Steelers' receivers at a shockingly high level. ST&NO Favorite Brandon McDonald was fantastic. He might have had the best coverage game I have seen from a CB this year (although Andre' Goodman was awesome on Sunday, too). Eric Wright was strong on the other side too, though he gave up a few completions to Santonio Holmes. As has often been the case with the Broncos this season, the coverage allowed the pressure to get to Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 8 times.

f. It was another annoying weekend when almost every game was early, including the Broncos. I had the Chicago-Green Bay game on at the same time as the Broncos game,. and as I watched some of it, I was struck by the fact that neither team showed me anything that I didn't already know about them. Aaron Rodgers continued his recent run of getting sacked less, and the Packers defense was strong again. The Bears had some flashes, but self-destructed at key times.

The only real takeaway from this, to me, is another reminder why I don't really like fantasy football. The number one player in the Official MHR League this year has been my QB, Rodgers. In real football terms, he played fine on Sunday. He completed 16 of 24 throws for 180 yards, and lost a fumble on a blind-side sack. His team won the game, so no worries, right? Well, in fantasy terms, he tanked. Not only that, I am playing Zappa in the playoffs this week, and he has Ryan Grant, who had a monster game with 137 yards and 2 TDs, because the Bears were playing coverage to prevent big plays in the passing game.

g. Speaking of guys who tanked on my fantasy team, Randy Moss, this skunky, warm Miller High Life is for you. One catch for 16 yards, and a lost fumble? Really? He really looked like he wasn't trying hard, too; it was a total flashback to the Oakland days. Good thing I had Brandon Marshall and the Eagles (TD scoring) defense.

h. I think the Patriots are in trouble, and that their culture needs an adjustment. I read Bill Belichick's sending tardy players home as a clear indication of that. Adalius Thomas lipped off in the media, and got benched for it, and Randy Moss did it with his play somewhat on Sunday. I wouldn't be shocked if both are gone after this season. Thomas is gone for sure, and Moss is a possibility. The Patriots have a lot of draft assets with which to restock the WR position, and they're pretty solid at LB anyway, with guys like Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich making positive contributions.

It was pretty interesting how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick came to Moss's aid on Monday, after he clearly was dogging some pass routes. Michael Lombardi had a good point on NFL Network that Moss has done that his whole career, and that the Patriots probably weren't too alarmed by it. I think it's pretty bad, personally.

i. Scary moment in Arlington, Texas, when DeMarcus Ware was carted off the field with a neck injury. The Chargers had a false start, and then went right down the field in two plays to score the deciding TD afterward. Reports on Monday were that Ware would miss the next two weeks, which would really handicap the Dallas defense. Most casual fans think of Ware as just a pass rusher, but he is a rare player who stars against the run, and in zone coverage too.

j. I alluded to this thought last week, but it was well-articulated by Michael Lombardi last night; Dallas's struggles have nothing to do with what month it is. The same can be said of the Chargers and their success in the month of December. If you're playing in a lot of places where there's bad weather, then maybe the month is a semi-meaningful data point, but neither Dallas nor San Diego particularly qualifies. I know somebody is going to say that a game in December is a pressure game, but even that's not true a lot of times. San Diego has tended to be healthy in December, and Dallas has tended to be banged up. San Diego has tended to play weak late-season schedules, and Dallas has tended to play difficult ones. Don't get caught up in things which Peter King would incorrectly call a factoid.

k. That Radio Shack commercial with the sleeping scruffy dude saying "Dance, Sugar Plum Fairies" is bizarre. It makes no sense at all to me, and I can't imagine how it would make anybody want to shop at Radio Shack, or buy that craptastic phone from Sprint.

l. NBC lucked out with a great game on Sunday night between the Eagles and Giants. Neither defense looked particularly good, but both offenses lit it up. The difference in the game was a defensive TD from Sheldon Brown, and a punt-return TD from DeSean Jackson. Those plays also provided the difference in the Shallow Thoughts team beating Zappa's Sactown Beavers in the playoffs.

m. I would never let Jackson get off the line of scrimmage without getting hit. Teams just insist on letting this guy run free through their secondary, and he kills them. Little, fast guys like him must be re-routed off the line, and then you want over/under coverage on him after that. He's not the typical big, physical number-1 WR like Brandon Marshall, but he does need double-team attention, or at least Cover-3 behind him, so he can be hit at the line with confidence.

n. Brandon Jacobs, to me, is like a 98-mph fastball that's a little too straight, and rarely misses bats. Jacobs has been running harder lately than he was early in the season, but he doesn't make anybody miss. He takes so many hits, and this year, he's going down more easily than he used to. I think the Giants offense is better when Ahmad Bradshaw is getting more carries than Jacobs at this point, even as Jacobs has been better lately.

o. Speaking of the Giants, I want to share some ST&NO light with a Giants fan, because I've coincidentally been listening to his music as I wrote this part of the column. If you like hip hop, you ought to check out Nickel at his website www.SpotMeANickel.com. He's got a couple albums worth of MP3s available for free download there. I went to high school with the guy at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT, and it's cool to see him doing well, and making good music.

p. As always, I watched 5 games on Monday night, and the one I learned the most from was the New Orleans-Atlanta game. Very simply, New Orleans deserved to lose the game, and I haven't seen or heard anybody acknowledge that. I take that as a reaffirmation that my effort is worth the time.

Brent Grimes got called for two horrible pass-interference penalties, on plays where he reached around his man to play the ball. Those two plays directly led to 14 points being scored, and the Saints won by 3. The officials bogusly penalized ST&NO Favorite Thomas DeCoud on an even better play in the fourth quarter too, but Garrett Hartley subsequently missed a Field Goal, so it didn't affect the scoreboard. The Saints are a very good team, and they don't need any bonus help, but apparently you can't breathe on their receivers. It reminded me of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Dwyane Wade got "fouled" practically every time he touched the ball, and it disgusted me just as much to watch.

q. Jonathan Vilma deserves credit for sealing the win for New Orleans. He intercepted Chris Redman with 3 minutes to go in the game. Then, after the Saints arrogantly tried a fake field goal, rather than taking the points and going up 6, Vilma tackled the formidable Jason Snelling cold in the open field, a yard short of the first down on 4th and 2. He made the plays that were there to be made.

r. While I'm on the topic of the Saints, here's an E! True Hollywood Story for you. Or maybe it's a Letterman-style Top 2 list. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Top 2 Things Ted Bartlett Currently Doesn't Give A Damn About (And Al Roker's Forecast Calls For No Change:)

1. Whether or not the Colts or Saints go 16-0, and on a related note, whether or not they rest their starters.

2. Who wins the NFL MVP Award.

Going 16-0 doesn't matter to anything. All it would do is create something which Peter King would someday mistakenly call a factoid (even though it's actually a fact). The only thing that matters is going 3-0 (or 4-0) in the Playoffs. Plus, the whole thing puts Mercury Morris back in the spotlight, and he's a jerk who doesn't deserve it.

As for the MVP Award, really, who cares? I may start caring if somebody other than a QB or RB can win, other than the rare Lawrence Taylor in 1986. (Since the AP award began in 1957, only DT Alan Page, K Mark Moseley, and Taylor have won the award from positions other than QB or RB. Taylor is the only winner for the Pro Football Writers Association award, which began in 1975. This is an absolute farce.)

Remember ST&NO Rule #1: If reporters vote for it, and decide it, it's usually not particularly worth paying attention to. That includes any and all power rankings, the NFL All-Pro team, all season-ending awards in all sports, and membership in all Halls of Fame. Reporters often mean well, and they add some value to the overall football discourse, but the value they add ends when they're not asking questions, finding things out, and reporting those things. When you ask them to judge something, most can't get past the very obvious, or what other people tell them, and nearly all are biased by what they consider to be the most interesting story. While that's understandable, given the fact that they're in the interesting story business, it's also self-serving, and represents noise rather than a reflection of truth.

s. The more I watch Chad Henne, the more I like his mechanics, all the way through the process of playing QB. I most especially like the way he carries out his fakes after he hands off the ball. You can tell that he's very well coached, both at the collegiate level and the professional level.

t. Speaking of good coaching, if Head Coaching jobs were being handed out based only upon excellence as a coordinator, Mike Mularkey would be looking pretty good for a shot at another job. People who know things about offense, and pay attention, know that Mularkey has been getting a lot of production out of some pretty marginal talent the last two seasons. It's equal parts scheme, knowing the capabilities of his players, and getting his guys to execute, but Atlanta's offense overachieves. Remember - Mularkey didn't get fired in Buffalo; he resigned in 2006 because he didn't see eye-to-eye with the recently hired Marv Levy. He's up there with Houston's Kyle Shanahan on offense, and the Broncos' Mike Nolan, Cincinnati's Mike Zimmer, and Arizona's Bill Davis on defense as guys who I think are adding a great deal of value to their sides of the ball.

u. I tend to dislike University of Texas players, because they have a well-known reputation for being coddled in Austin, and often coming into the NFL as soft players. A limitation of making evaluations from a distance is that you sometimes have to rely on information which may or may not be meaningful, such as the fact that coaches are prohibited from cursing at players at UT. That's pretty absurd in my opinion, like the urban legend about stress cards in basic training.

I didn't take to Brian Orakpo much coming out of college, partially due to the UT factor. Turns out, he's very good, and he's brought a lot to the table for Oakland. He has had a very good rookie season, but he was dominant on Sunday against the Raiders' bad offensive line and indecisive JaMarcus Russell. I still prefer Knowshon Moreno to Orakpo for the long haul, and I still think the Redskins should have taken Michael Oher (after the Packers should have taken Michael Oher). Orakpo was a good choice though, and is a good player, so I missed on that one.

v. I said a couple weeks ago that I was pretty sure that the Chiefs didn't regret acquiring Matt Cassel, and he's proceeded to have the two worst games of his career the last two weeks. His ability is very clear, so I still don't think they regret it, but he needs to step it up, and buy Todd Haley and Scott Pioli some cover. Kansas City has an aggressive local sports media, led by Adam Teicher and Jason Whitlock. Whitlock has already renamed Pioli as Scott Egoli, so it would be mighty helpful to this regime if they and Cassel could finish the season stronger than they've been showing, and feel like there's something to build on.

w. A vital part of a 3-step drop passing play is that the outside blocker on the throw side (usually the Tackle) needs to cut the Defensive End and get him on the ground. The 49ers RT, Adam Snyder, failed to cut Darnell Dockett twice in the first half Monday night, resulting in an Interception by Dockett, and another deflection by Dockett, which Alex Smith caught himself, and promptly was tackled for a 6-yard loss. Neither play was Smith's fault; his job is to get to the top of his drop, and let the ball go. Snyder's job is to clear the throwing lane.

x. Speaking of guys clearly not doing their jobs (and jumping back to the Dallas game because of the topic), Tony Dungy was right on when he was asked if coaching was the problem in Dallas. He said that he knows Terence Newman has been coached to jam a WR and re-route him in Cover-2, and that coaching definitely wasn't the problem on the big Vincent Jackson 39-yard catch on 3rd and 12 (right after the aforementioned Ware injury).

That was the key play of the game, and Newman didn't make it. As the play happened live, I yelled out "Where's the f$%^&* jam, 41?" I was glad Dungy called him out, although I bet he wasn't moved to profanity like I was. I've always thought Newman was highly overrated, by virtue of being a Cowboy. It comes with wearing the blue star, I am afraid.

y. Usually, when a defensive lineman is drafted highly, you expect him to be a big sack guy. The Bengals once drafted Justin Smith fourth overall, in 2001. His career high in sacks, mostly as a Right DE in a 40-front, was 8.5 in his rookie season. He had 6.5, 5, 8, 6, 7.5, and 2 in his next five seasons, which are respectable numbers, but not for an open-side DE drafted that highly.

Smith signed a 6-year $45 million deal with San Francisco in 2008, and moved to 5-technique in a 30-front. It's the role he should have been playing all along, because he's always been a physical, block-defeating player more than a speed-rushing player. It's not too different than the highly drafted Derrick Harvey from the Jaguars, or Jamaal Anderson for the Falcons (who moved to DT eventually). Their skill sets are just better suited to playing with physicality than with speed. (Harvey got only his second sack of the year Sunday, and Anderson has 0.5).

Anyway, Smith was dominant on Monday night, and consistently held the point of attack, while often penetrating and disrupting the Cardinals offense. It sure seemed like he is earning his money. I was also very impressed with the pass-rushing skills of Ahmad Brooks, who used to be just a MLB.

z. Another rookie I criticized for seeming to be soft was Beanie Wells, and he continues to play like he isn't. His TD run early in the 4th quarter Monday night was a man's TD run, all second effort. He did fumble later in the 4th quarter, but it was on a kill-shot by Dashon Goldson, who had a couple of those in Monday night's game.

aa. Genetics are a funny thing. In my family, we have something called the Bartlett Calves. My dad and all his siblings have them, and all my siblings and I have them, even my 8-year old half-sister Abby. The Bartlett Calves are notable for being disproportionately muscular and large, compared to the rest of our bodies. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 235 pounds, and when flexed, my calves are 18 inches around, which is 3-4 inches bigger than the average man's calf, and an inch bigger than the average man's neck.

I bring up this genetic oddity, because it makes me feel a certain kinship with Frank Gore, who has thunder thighs like whoa. He's found out a way to make good professional use of his thighs, because they're what give him such impressive power in traffic. Mine don't really come in too useful as an accounting manager and blogger.

ab. The jury is in as far as I am concerned for San Francisco. The 49ers are on the right track, and ST&NO Favorite Alex Smith has definitely emerged as their long-term QB. They have 2 first-round picks this season, which are both going to be in the 10-15 area. They need a CB and an offensive lineman with those picks, or maybe even two offensive linemen. This team is not far at all from the playoffs, and they're not even going to miss by much this season.

ac. The Cardinals are still legitimate championship contenders, but they got their hind parts kicked Monday night. The result of the game was more a reflection of good play by the Niners than it was of bad play by the Cardinals. The bright spot for Arizona was the excellent Adrian Wilson, who baited Smith into a dumb INT, and was around the ball constantly, the whole game.

4. I couldn't agree more with TJ Johnson's piece about deferring the option yesterday, and a smart analyst got out ahead of me before I wrote about it, which happens once in awhile with a Tuesday slot. I'm always glad to see an in-house MHR guy do it. Big up TJ! If you haven't read his article, you should. So should Don Banks (and Dan Fouts.)

From Banks:

• Did I hear that right, the Broncos won the coin toss to start their game at Indy and deferred to the Colts? And Peyton Manning? Why exactly would you give Manning the chance to get the ball in his hands any more than you absolutely have to? What were you thinking, Josh McDaniels? That's a dubious, rookie-like call for the Broncos new head coach. I do believe McDaniels was guilty of overconfidence in his defense.

My two cents was going to be that each team gets the ball kicked to them to start one half, and there's no way around that fact, so if you consider just this fact, it's utterly meaningless which half a particular team gets their opportunity to receive. TJ goes much further, and finds that there is actually evidence that teams who get the ball to start the second half tend to experience more success. Very interesting stuff.

5. That first-rounder from the Bears is looking really good right now. Chicago fell to 5-8 Sunday, and I like them to finish 6-10. They play at Baltimore and home against Minnesota before finishing at Detroit. For the Broncos' playoff chances, I'd like to see the Bears beat the Ravens, but I doubt it happens. A 6-10 record is probably good for a pick in the neighborhood of 9th or 10th overall. I gave a cursory look at the remaining schedules of every team with a losing record, and this is what I came up with for season-ending records, and way-too-early possible picks.

1. St. Louis 1-15 Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

2. Tampa Bay 1-15 Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

3. Detroit 2-14 Gerald McCoy DT Oklahoma

4. Kansas City 3-13 Eric Berry S Tennessee

5. Cleveland 4-12 Russell Okung T Oklahoma State

6. Oakland 4-12 Carlos Dunlap DE Florida

7. Buffalo 5-11 Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

8. Washington 5-11 Trent Williams T Oklahoma

9. San Francisco ~~Carolina~~ 5-11 Joe Haden CB Florida

10. Seattle 6-10 Anthony Davis T Rutgers

11. Denver ~~Chicago~~ 6-10

12. San Francisco 7-9

13. Pittsburgh 7-9

14. Houston 8-8

15. Tennessee 8-8

With a 10th or 11th pick, you can get yourself a difference-making defensive player like a Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain, or Brandon Spikes. You could also go outside the box, and draft a guy like C.J. Spiller from Clemson, who projects as a major home-run threat, a la Chris Johnson, at the NFL level. You have to admit, he'd make a nice tandem with Knowshon Moreno. My move, though, might be to try to trade down, and enjoy some of the depth of this Draft. (I say try, because you can't always do it.) I am treading kind of lightly with this line of thinking, because I am a well-known believer that players are better than draft picks. (A player is a real asset, and a draft pick is a derivative asset; when you're needing to operate now, it's better to have a barrel of oil than a contract guaranteeing the delivery of a barrel of oil at a future date and price.)

To me, the Broncos could get back once or twice to #20 or so, and take someone like either Mike or Maurkice Pouncey from Florida, if they elect to enter the draft. (Incidentally, I think Florida is going to lose a bunch of underclassmen.) Both are 6-5 320-pound interior offensive linemen, and would fill what I think is the Broncos' biggest roster need. The overall point, though, is that it's good to be in the position the Broncos are in right now, with this pick coming in higher than their record would earn. For those who were sure the Broncos erred in trading their own pick rather than Chicago's, I'd hope they remember that you don't know how things are going to play out until they play out.

6. Bad news emerged for QB-needy teams yesterday that Washington junior Jake Locker will return for his senior season. It was not altogether unexpected, but I believe that Locker would have been the first QB selected, and maybe the number-1 overall pick. His talent as a thrower and runner is way ahead of the other guys in this class. The guy who benefits is Sam Bradford, because if he checks out healthy, his size and arm are both a bit better than Jimmy Clausen's. I, personally, am not in love with either guy. Bradford looks like a young Matt Hasselbeck to me, while a comparison for Clausen doesn't come to me so easily. Clausen is short, average athletically, looks like he needs to get a lot stronger, and has an average arm. He looks a bit like a young Drew Brees, before Drew worked so hard to become what he became. I am reluctant to make that comparison, but it's the best one I can come up with.

7. Retired for John Elway.

That's all I have for this week. We'll be back next Tuesday with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Until then, have a fantastic Raiders Week, and Go Broncos!

Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers: "We will unleash HELL" - Mike Tomlin

saint — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:53:17 -0000

When I read the words below by Mike Tomlin, I got fired up: (Mid you I had just woken up this morning and went from ZERO to 60 in about 2.2 seconds)

"We will unleash hell here in December because we have to. We won't go in a shell. We'll go into attack mode, because that's what's required." - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

I mean that is some "Ol' Skool" Football right there. It is also the sign of a Champion that will settle for NOTHING less.

LaMarr Woodley asked Mike Tomlin for an explanation and here is what he said: (From PFT)

"I asked [Tomlin] that today in practice," Woodley said, "what he meant by that. He said, 'We're not going to sit back and get hit in the mouth. We're not going to be surprised by anything. We're going to do the attacking. We're going to throw the first punch. That's what that means. We're bringing it.' He smiled about it [when I asked], but I wanted to know what did he mean by that, and he told me what it was."

Of course, my second thought was, "Why did'nt the Raiders go into Hell Unleashing Mode 4 weeks ago?".

I mean, there is a time and place for everything and I'd think that Hell Unleashing mode would be appropriate after getting punched in the face by Denver or the Jets. Then again, Tom Cable, prefers the Stay Puff Marsh Mellow Approach: (In referrence to the team's passing game against Dallas)

"When you look at it on film, it's literally a foot here, a foot there from being a heck of a throw and a great completion," Cable said Friday. "So, if you look at that, that's something that will just naturally get better and better.

"But that's an exciting part of our team, because you can see it coming now."

Steelers Defense Delivers Knockout Punch In 4th Quarter, Knock Vikings From The Ranks Of The Undefeated

Blitzburgh — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:36:08 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: A Pittsburgh Steelers fan cheers from the upper deck of Heinz Field during the first quarter of an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Wow, the Pittsburgh Steelers find a way to win for the fourth consecutive week. The defense hadn't really won a ballgame for the Steelers this year, and on Sunday they again had their struggles defending the pass. But for the first time all season really, Dick LeBeau's defense came up with multiple game-changing plays that dictated the outcome. Here's some preliminary thoughts about the 27-17 victory.

* There are still some troubling issues with the Steelers defense, but the good news is that they're starting to make some of the big plays that they weren't making to start the year. Through the first five games of the season, the Steelers had forced just 4 turnovers. The past two weeks, Pittsburgh's defense has 6 takeaways. The two turnovers Dick LeBeau's defense created today were not just run of the mill takeaways either - both were returned for touchdowns. And both came in the 4th quarter with the Vikings on the march. LaMarr Woodley got things started by taking a Brett Favre fumble 77 yards for a score. Keyaron Fox then intercepted a muffed catch by Chester Taylor and took it the other way for a game-clinching 82 yard score. Credit to the D for stepping up and making a play when their backs were against the wall, but color me still concerned about how much this defense continues to bend in the passing game. It didn't break today but it most likely will unless they can make things much, much tougher for those opposing quarterbacks who are disciplined, experienced and accurate enough to dink and dunk their way down the field.

* This defense is going to continue to need big plays like that if they hope to repeat as AFC North champions. The defense is still struggling against the pass otherwise. Brett Favre threw for 334 yards and the Vikings converted a very healthy 9-of-18 on 3rd down. Minnesota had three drives of 13 plays or more which helped them win the time of possession battle by almost 14 minutes.

* Wacky stat of the game #1 - Total plays: Minnesota 78, Pittsburgh 49.

* Wacky stat of the game #2 - Minnesota 1-5 TD efficiency in the red zone; Pittsburgh 0-3.

* Wacky stat of the game #3 - Minnesota 16 first downs through the air; Pittsburgh 14 total first downs.

* William Gay had 8 tackles on Sunday, increasing his season total to 30. Only James Farrior, Ryan Clark and James Harrison have more tackles. In case you were wondering, I don't necessarily think this is a good thing. I tip my hat to Gay for playing hard and for making some nice plays in each of the Steelers first seven games, but there's no doubt in my mind that he's the weak link not only in the team's secondary, but the entire defense as well. Teams are going right at Gay most weeks, hence the high tackle totals. And they're definitely making him pay when he gives his man too big a cushion. I don't have the exact total on me, but there were at least four or five plays where Favre quickly slung the ball out to the wide receiver that Gay was defending. Again, I'm not disgusted with the way he's playing or anything. It's just he's not nearly as physical as the player he is replacing, Bryant McFadden. I said I was worried about his play before the start of the season more than anything else with this team. That sentiment has not changed for me one bit.

* I still miss Anthony Madison on special teams. The Steelers surrendered yet another kickoff return on Sunday. There were plenty of people responsible for Percy Harvin breaking off the 88 yard kickoff return, but perhaps none more than Jeff Reed. Reed not only didn't force Harvin back to the middle of the field - which is definitely rule #1 - but he also just gave his best matador impersonation by meekly flailing at Harvin as he ran by him. Bad, bad stuff from Reed.

* To his credit, Reed had a nice day kicking the ball. Both of his field goal attempts were relative 'chip shots' (39 and 27 yards), but his kicks looked crisper and an improvement over how he had been kicking the ball earlier in the year, even on his made attempts.

* A tough day for the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh mustered just 259 total yards, by far their lowest output of the season. However, the Steelers did average 5.3 yards per play, not a shabby number. The problem was settling for two field goals in the red zone and a Rashard Mendenhall fumble inside the 5 yard line. That's a lot of points left on the board. Credit the Vikings defense though - they took Hines Ward out of the game for the most part, bottled up the run for much of the afternoon, and did a superior job of not letting Big Ben break free from would-be sacks.

* Anybody else notice how many deflections the Vikings had at the line of scrimmage? I'm not sure of the number but it seemed like there were at least three or four balls batted down by Vikings defensive linemen. That rarely happens with the 6'5" Ben Roethlisberger. A job well done by them.

* I'd like to break down the play with pictures in the near future since we have a couple of weeks before the next game, but Big Ben's touchdown strike to Mike Wallace at the end of the 1st half was gorgeous. The pass was thrown with plenty of zip, but it also had just the right trajectory to fall over the Vikings first line of defense in the secondary and down in to Wallace's breadbasket before the last line of defense could get to #17. A truly perfect throw by Big Ben.

* Not to sound overly negative, but I haven't been that impressed by Daniel Sepulveda. He's been fine and a decided upgrade over what the team was getting from the punting game last year in his absence. But he's no Mike Scifres or Shane Lechler. I've still yet to see him really boom or place a punt that made me say 'wow'.

* Bet you didn't know that it was the first time in NFL history that there were 3 touchdown returns of at least 75 yards during the 4th quarter of a game. It was awesome watching the Steelers defense block for both Woodley and Fox on their respective runbacks. Percy Harvin on the other hand didn't need much help on his touchdown.

* I have been extremely impressed by the way Santonio Holmes has been playing during the Steelers four game winning streak. Santonio only had 2 receptions for 59 yards, but he continues to impress me in the running game and blocking down field for his fellow WRs after the catch. Hines has clearly rubbed off on him, and I'd imagine that both he and Hines are having the same effect on rookie Mike Wallace. It was unfortunate that Holmes didn't get his TD reception in the 1st quarter when Heath Miller was called for pass interference.

* Speaking of Mike Wallace - the rookie out of Ole Miss continues to earn the confidence and trust of his teammates and coaches. Wallace had 3 catches for 79 yards and a TD. Kevin Colbert and his army of scouts definitely found a keeper in #17. He's going to be a treat to watch over the years.

* My phrase for Mewelde Moore after we signed during the 2008 free agency period - 'one mans trash is another man's treasure'. Who would you rather have if you were Minnesota? A 30 year old Chester Taylor taking up nearly $4 million in cap room or a 27 year old Mewelde Moore who takes up less less than half the cap space that Taylor does. Moore is reliable and even keeled with his performance. Taylor is more up and down. It wasn't the easiest catch in the world, but on the play where Keyaron Fox returned the interception for a touchdown, the ball hit Taylor's hands. He's got to make that play. Anyway, I'm just glad we have Moore on our side.

* Congratulations to David Johnson. The 7th round tight end out of Arkansas State caught his first career pass late in the 1st quarter. Good stuff David!

* I'll wrap this up for now, but a job well done by the Steelers defense against Adrian Peterson. AP had just 69 yards on 18 carries and was largely unable to do much against the stout Steelers rush defense. Peterson still had some nice runs and of course that beastly play in the passing game against William Gay, but you have to be impressed with the Steelers ability to contain him without Aaron Smith for the entire game and Lawrence Timmons for part of it. Kudos to guys like Nick Eason, Travis Kirschke, Ziggy Hood and Keyaron Fox for filling in admirably.

* Now it's Pittsburgh's turn for their BYE Week before heading to Denver to take on the Denver Broncos. I think it's a great time for the BYE. The team has lots to feel good about but plenty to work on. A little rest to heal up some aching bodies and then it's time for the second half of the season and hopefully another run at securing an AFC North crown and potentially even a 1st round BYE in this year's playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals Chat with the Enemy: New York Giants

Hawkwind — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:34:39 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt hopes to run his team's road record to 3-0 this Sunday when the Red Birds travel to the Meadowlands. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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We're back this week with a new twist on the normal Q&A session as we sit down with New York Giants expert, Ed Valentine, from Big Blue View. We'll preview this Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and his Giants and while this chat session won't quite match the video preview that we had last year, hopefully it'll still get the juices flowing.

ROTB: Ok, first question I have to ask each week.....What is your current injury situation and how will/could it effect Sunday's game?

Edward: Well, the Giants are an injury-riddled mess. Safety Kenny Phillips out for the year with a knee injury, leaving us very vulnerable at safety (see all the discussion on BBV about 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown.' Chris Canty, Aaron Ross and Michael Boley, also all key defenders, are out. So, defensively this team has been weakened and has not, truthfully, been the dominant group it was expected to be. Not that that can't change. How about the Cards injury situation?

ROTB: Anquan Boldin is the big injury at this point. He suffered the dreaded "high" ankle sprain last week and didn't practice yesterday although both he and head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that they were encouraged by his progress. Boldin told reporters after practice that he'll most likely be a game time decision which for him doesn't sound very promising. Normally Boldin emphatically proclaims that he's going to play, especially in big games, so this might be just a case of trying not to break the bad news until game time. Others on the list include Stephen Spach (a tight end who wouldn't be missed), Steve Breaston (limited) and Beanie Wells (also limited). Breaston would be a huge loss, especially when if Boldin were also out, but most likely this is just a precaution because he's been slowed by a bone bruise suffered in the preseason. Wells is a new injury but with his past it's worth watching as the week progresses. Outside of those though there are no significant season ending injuries to speak of, at least not yet.

Edward: OK, so Arizona is 3-2. Give me an assessment of your team through five games?

ROTB: Well so far I think the Cardinals are sort of the same team that we saw last year during the regular season (aka Jekyll and Hyde). They'll play some great games, they'll play a great half every once in a while followed by a putrid half and sometimes they'll just flat out lay an egg. The offense has been picking up steam throughout the first five games after sputtering out of the gates thanks to some injuries at the wide receiver position. The defense has shown flashes of being very good, especially the run defense, but their overall level of success is greatly dependent on their ability to rush the passer. When they can pressure opposing quarterbacks this is a very good unit but when they allow any quarterback to get comfortable they will be beat.

ROTB: The Giants started the season very nicely until running into the Saints. Are the Giants an elite NFC team or did they benefit from playing some weak teams to start the season?

Edward: Both. Of course they benefited from a schedule that saw them play Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland (the NFL's junior varsity) in four of their first five games. And a couple of areas of concern got exposed Sunday by the Saints, who probably have the best offense in the league. But, this is definitely an elite team. Eli Manning is playing the best football of his career. They have a talented group of receivers. They still have that running game. Defensively, they still have not played up to their ability level, but they have not been anywhere close to healthy, either. The Giants have a lot of big-name players on their defensive line, but that group has been inconsistent. I expect that to change as the season wears on. Are the Giants the best team in the NFC? Maybe, maybe not. If this defense ever gets healthy, though, I still think the Giants have a chance to be special.

Edward: So, question I love to ask. If you could take one player off the Giants roster and put him on your team who would it be? Why?

ROTB: Wow, interesting question. Normally I'd probably flip a coin and take either Osi or Tuck but the Cardinals just switched to a 3-4 defense and I'm not positive that either would be best suited in that defense. The next place I'd look is offensive line considering that the Giants are routinely mentioned among the league's best. Without knowing the details of each of your starting five I'd take whichever tackle is better.

Edward: Interesting. In all honesty in a 3-4 the guy who might fit your team best is Mathias Kiwanuka, a speedy defensive end who also has outside linebacker experience.

ROTB: Interesting. He'd be a heavy OLB, kind of like LaMarr Woodley, but he'd probably still be an upgrade over our guys. Our OL play has been so poor though that I'd probably still stick with one of your tackles.

ROTB: The Giants have reputation as one of those teams that can consistently put pressure on teams with their front four. How has the pass rush been so far and if you had to game plan around slowing them down, what would you do?

Edward: Well, the pass rush has actually been an issue thus far. 'Performance' has not matched 'reputation.' The Giants have 14 sacks, but have had three games in which they got zero sacks. Sunday against New Orleans pressure was non-existent. Osi, Tuck, Kiwanuka and the rest of the guys have to start playing to their ability level on a consistent basis.

ROTB: A quick follow up, I noticed that the Saints used a third offensive tackle in place of the tight end sometimes. Is that something that is just part of the Saints playbook or are teams starting to use that to neutralize the Giants front four?

Edward: I think it is part of what the Saints do. Although I love the idea and I wish the Giants would utilize it, since they don't have a true 'blocking' tight end.

ROTB: Well I hope it's something that the Cards use this weekend because our OT's have really struggled this year.

Edward: Prediction for Sunday?

ROTB: Hopefully the Cards study the Saints tape and try to use the same plan of attack. I'll go with Cards 35-31. Yours?

Edward: Oh, I'm sure the Cards will try to attack the Giants in a lot of the same areas. Basically, find 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' and throw it to whoever he should be covering. That should get you at least two TDs. Anyway, I think the Giants were really stung by last Sunday and I think you are going to see a huge effort this week. I will go 30-24, Giants.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thoughts?

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels salutes the crowd after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Is anybody else feeling like they could get used to feeling like this on a Tuesday? It's great to be 5-0, isn't it? Maybe Mark Kiszla is right, and we should all join him in welcoming Kyle Orton to Denver, since MHR is clearly bringing up the rear, there. Y'all know how skeptical I have been. Despite our ongoing skepticism, and community-wide propensity for all things negative, we press on. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. Speaking of my skepticism, I was pretty high on this team, heading into the first game.

This is an 11-5 football team, and it's one that is only going to improve as it adds more quality talent in the next few years. I put my money where my mouth is too, donating $11 to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, on John Bena's wife's behalf. Please do the same thing, if you can, by donating $1 for every win you think the Broncos will get this season. Things have to break right for that to happen, sure, but I think they will. Forget last season, this is a totally different thing.

Well, that caused a stir. John Bena took a beating on Twitter about it, and even my brother Chris thought I was about 4 games too generous. At this point, I am frankly wondering if I shorted the Susan G Komen outfit by a buck or two. One mea culpa though.

By the way, the Broncos five losses are to the Patriots, Giants, and Raiders at home, and the Chargers and Eagles on the road. I know a lot of people will groan at the thought of losing to Oakland at home, but let's face it, the Broncos annually lose a game they have no business losing, and I had a feeling that that would be the one. I think they can beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh, because they protect the QB, and will be strong defensively against the run. It's about matchups, in those cases. Really, I believe that the Broncos can beat any team on their schedule if they execute, and consistently do the things you need to do to win football games.

I had the Broncos going to 4-0, (in case anybody claims nobody did), before losing both (Sunday) to the Patriots and next Monday night to the Chargers. They beat the Patriots, and I am pretty sure they'll beat the Chargers too, to move to 6-0. I also don't think there is any way they lose to the Raiders, with the consistent preparation and focus they've shown, and Oakland's extreme awfulness. So, even the most optimistic reasonable guy you know may have been underselling this team.

I am not much of a stats guy, but are you ready for an unbelievable one? In five weeks, the Broncos have made zero personnel moves. For all you hear about how much "turmoil" surrounded this team in the offseason, there has been absolutely none in the regular season. Of course, having had no major injuries helps, but it's really indicative of the quality of the team's personnel plan. There was no area where the staff thought incorrectly that the personnel would be good enough. It's good enough everywhere.

There is a lot of reason to really like this team. When the score was 10-0 in the first quarter, my father (Ed) called me, like he does when things aren't going that well for the Broncos. This is the conversation, practically word-for-word.

Ed: What's going on with your boys?

Ted: (A little annoyed.) Nothing, they had a good drive, but missed a field goal, and then they fumbled. Then they held the Patriots to a field goal despite really favorable field position. I'm not worried about it yet. These things happen.

Ed: I don't know...

Ted: This team has shown an ability to be resilient, and make adjustments. I think they'll hang in there, and be okay. (More annoyed, because the commercial was ending, and the game was restarting.) They just (bleeped) up a couple times, it's not the end of the world.

Ed: We'll see....

Ted: Yes, we will. I have to go, so I can pay attention.

Ed: Okay, when you write your analysis, you should mention that your expert father thinks they played like (bleep) because of those ugly uniforms.

Like me, my father is a former United States sailor (a Chief Nuke Machinist Mate), and we tend to employ some sailors' vocabulary when we speak. (In the interest of authenticity, I thought everybody should know that.)

I think back to the last few years, and there is a striking difference with this team. I think of 2005, and the Broncos hardly ever trailed in that season. Jake Plummer was made to play low-risk football, the defense was solid, and the Broncos ran the ball very well. If the plan was executed, the Broncos were going to win. Once it wasn't, in the AFC Championship Game, there was no coming back.

Between 2006-2008, the team was very mistake-prone, on both offense and defense (after the first 6 games of 2006). Generally, you'd have the feeling that if a player or unit made a mistake, that a long day of repeat mistakes would be sure to follow. Think of all the times Jay Cutler played the team out of games, or the defense took a holiday from tackling (or both happened in the same game, like the early season Chiefs game last season). There was always a puncher's chance, but you felt like every mistake was the killer.

I have a tremendous amount of faith in this team's ability to overcome mistakes. In the short amount of time they've been together, I've seen them do it a lot of times. It's not like they're making a lot of mistakes, but they show the ability to settle down and re-focus, no matter what happens. The 2008 Broncos would have gotten blown out today, no question about it. This team hangs in there, gets back to playing solid football, and gets in position to win in the end. It happened against Cincinnati, it happened against Dallas, and it happened again today. (Of course, there never was one second where the Browns or Raiders had an apparent chance, so there was no particular need to hang in there in those games.)

Check out this tweet from Darrell Reid, from Sunday night:

@Footz95: Bronco Fans Please 4Give Me 4 My Penalty That Almost Cost Us The Game. Luckily Its A Team Sport And My Teammates Overcame That Play. Thank U

That's pure class and accountability, and it's emblematic of this team. There was nothing about how the penalty was kind of ticky-tack, even if it was. He knows the rules, he ran into the guy's leg, and he is accountable for his mistake.

It's a gift to be able to feel like this, and I think only probably Patriots, Steelers, and Colts fans have been able to do so consistently, in recent memory. I think Giants and Saints fans probably can right now. Somehow, our team is going to keep focused, and find a way to be in the game until the final gun. What a great new Broncos fan reality.

2. Information From My Eyes, Patriots at Broncos:

a. The WRs for the Broncos did great work all game on Sunday. They ran a ton of hitches, and really got out of their breaks well on them. They also really caught the ball.

b. Andra Davis and D.J. Williams both missed clean sacks on Tom Brady, on delayed blitzes. It sure would have been nice to have those sacks, at the time.

c. I thought the use of Russ Hochstein as a FB was a nice touch a few times. It's been hit or miss this season, and it hit Sunday.

d. Both Brandon Marshall TDs were emblematic of his improvement as an all-around player. He made plays with his physicality, which he hadn't ever fully harnessed in past years. There was no sideways running Sunday, just good routes and power.

e. That Ben Watson TD was evidently a mistake by D.J. Williams, who from the looks of the rest of the scheme, and Wesley Woodyard's reaction, should have stayed in zone coverage, instead of following the underneath crosser.

f. Maybe Kyle Orton was so fantastic because he read Mark Kiszla's column before the game. Feeling like "one of us" has to go a long way, right?

g. That was a joke, of course, but Orton really did look as good as I have ever seen him. His feet were calm, active, and precise, his decisions were quick and correct, and his throws were consistently on the money. He looked like Tom Brady looks on a good day, and that's no overstatement.

h. I want to see a QB sneak on a short-yardage play one of these days. I am tired of seeing these handoff plays get blown up by quick penetration, usually over Ben Hamilton.

i. WOW, did Josh McDaniels ever flame-spray Mike Priefer and Keith Burns over that Darrell Reid penalty. He had a point. There was no particular need to be halfway rushing that punt, in that situation. Honestly, I am a believer in not trying to block a punt at all, unless there's 6 or more yards to go. That mitigates the risk of running into the kicker.

j. If you remember the second-down play in the 4th quarter, with about 10 minutes to go, where Brady threw deep and the ball was broken up by Brian Dawkins, the real play was made by D.J.Williams, in covering Wes Welker one-on-one. Brady clearly wanted to go there, and it was blanketed. On the next play, Brady did throw to Welker, and Champ Bailey had great coverage. The Broncos did a great job taking Welker away in the second half.

k. Everybody knows I wasn't that high on the Knowshon Moreno pick when it was made, but I have come to really love this player. He is going to be a superstar for years to come. I especially appreciate his skill at picking up the blitz, which is rare for a rookie.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I had the Bengals-Ravens game on my fixed screen Sunday, for the duration. The key observation from that game is that I had it slightly wrong a couple weeks ago, when I said that the Ravens were without any glaring weaknesses. Their cornerbacks are below average, and they can be killed outside the numbers. Old friend Domonique Foxworth is a good guy, but an average-at-best player. Fabian Washington isn't even as good as that. Particularly if you can block the Ravens' pressure packages, there is a lot of opportunity for success.

b. It is, however, best to stay out of the middle of the field, with any kind of risky throws. Ed Reed is as great as ever, and we all know about Ray Lewis. Reed made a couple big plays Sunday, stripping Chad Ochocinco on a long gainer before the first half ended, and then also returning an interception for a TD later. The Bengals dominated this game, and Reed and Ray Rice were the Ravens' only real positives, and managed to keep the Ravens in it.

c. Matt Cassel says he wants to find the right "anecdote" to losing. The Chiefs ought to start by drafting a lot more speed, because they're the slowest team in the NFL, ahead of their opponent Sunday, Dallas. The Chiefs are going to have another very high draft pick this year, because they are really horrible. If I were Scott Pioli, I would do everything possible to get below the Top 10, because a third straight very high pick, along with Cassel's contract, is going to really mess up their salary structure, a la Oakland. I would give a top pick away, straight-up, for the 12th pick, in their situation. Bill Polian had it right when he said that you don't get good by picking high in the draft every year. Unless you're taking a can't-miss QB, like Peyton Manning, nobody is worth the money you have to pay out.

d. Speaking of the Chiefs, this has gone mostly under the radar, but they're not playing Derrick Johnson, their best linebacker. He was their best defensive player in 2008, and now he's frozen out for some undisclosed reason. If I were a 40-front team, I'd be calling the Chiefs before the trade deadline next week. I bet he could be had for a 5th-rounder.

e. Have you ever seen that show, Intervention, on A&E? I know I have a pretty male-heavy readership, and it's mostly targeted toward a female demographic, so I ask, rather than assume. Anyway, it's not what I would call uplifting television. There's always some really troubled person, with drugs, or gambling, or compulsive shopping, or whatever. Their family loves them, and wants to help get them on the straight and narrow, but addiction is really hard (my 3-year anniversary of quitting smoking is next Monday, so trust me, I have an idea about addiction).

Anyway, the Jaguars remind me of an addict who is trying to get clean, and tries hard, and does well for a while, and then has a staggering, messy relapse. Jacksonville's addiction is to playing undisciplined and stupid football. The last two weeks, against Houston and Tennessee, the Jags had their act together. Sunday, against Seattle, they relapsed, and got completely embarassed. Rashean Mathis, a good CB, had a horrid game, and got out of position repeatedly. I think Jack Del Rio's days have to be numbered, because his program just isn't getting the team to where they need to be. I'm not picking them in any more games this year, either, unless it's against an obviously terrible team. Sometimes, even though you may love the addict, they won't let themselves be helped, and you have to cut them off.

f. The 49ers are not addicted to undisciplined football, but they sure played like the Jaguars West on Sunday. Watching the Short Cut, I really feel like they lost their composure after Roddy White's 90-yard TD in the second quarter. Nate Clements got beat on that play, and had a tough game overall. The defense was physical, and maintained their run lanes, but didn't tackle well, at all. I expect that Mike Singletary will re-focus his team, and they'll show better in their next game, after their bye. Since they're clearly not built to play from behind, they need to establish early leads.

g. A lot was made of Dre' Bly's idiotic celebration Sunday, but Donnie Avery deserves some scorn too, for dancing after a TD catch, when it made the score 31-10 Vikings, with 6 minutes to go. That's just clown-like. Hand the ball to the Field Judge, and get back to your sideline.

h. Matt Schaub threw a noodle-armed out route Sunday, which Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie took back for the game-winning TD. Even after that, Schaub drove the team the length of the field, before the Cardinals held them on 4th and goal from the 1. The problem with being a zone-blocking team, as we've seen, is that you tend to struggle in short yardage situations, and the Texans really struggle with them.

i. I got called "ignorant" once by our dear friend/Colts blogger BigBlueShoe for saying that Anthony Gonzalez was a below-average starter. I considered it an honor, because I am happy to disagree with anybody. (Evaluation is a function of what I see, not what anybody thinks they know, and by extension, that they think I should "know.") In any case, Gonzalez, who is from 3 towns west of where I live, is going to stuggle to get on the field when he gets healthy. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have done fantastic work this season, and they're both better players than Gonzalez. Collie is smooth in his routes, and fundamentally sound, and Garcon is fast and fluid. Gonzalez struggles to get off press coverage, and as Mike Shanahan once said, if you can't get off press coverage, you'll be selling cars before too long.

j. The Steelers defense looks extremely beatable lately, especially if you can pass protect. The Lions did a lot of good stuff offensively Sunday, and lost only because they couldn't contain James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Trust me, they're not a terrible team team this season.

k. Josh Johnson looked like an NFL starting QB on Sunday, which is an accomplishment, for your second career start, against a defense like Philadelphia's. His stats were pedestrian (26-50, 240 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT with 5 carries for 40 yards), but he passed the eye test. His throws were mostly accurate and decisive, and he was victimized by quite a few drops, at least 6 or 7.

l. I haven't gotten a great look at Jason Peters yet this regular season, and I have been wanting to. Sunday's game didn't show me much, because Gaines Adams just looks clueless on the field. LDE Jimmy Wilkerson got 3 sacks for the Buccaneers, and lazy analysis would lead me to criticize RT Winston Justice, who I am typically not a big fan of. Thing is, I looked at the plays, and none were particularly bad plays by Justice. One was an overload, where the RG picked up Wilkerson, and on the other two, Donovan McNabb rolled into a decently-blocked Wilkerson.

m. ST&NO favorite Channing Crowder had a fantastic game on Monday Night, and really backed up his smack talk from the spring with Rex Ryan. Another ST&NO favorite, Sean Smith, did not have a particularly great game. He struggled a little with Braylon Edwards, and while he didn't embarass himself, he has looked a lot better in other games. He was still the best CB the Dolphins had, as Vontae Davis and Will Allen both struggled worse.

n. I called this just last Tuesday with Edwards. He got out of Cleveland, and he's going to flourish in New York. He always thought of Cleveland as a non-cosmopolitan place, even to a greater extent than what is really true. (It's medium in its cosmopolitan-ness; well behind the major cities, but well ahead of a place like Jacksonville.) Edwards also felt like Ohio fans secretly hated him because he is a Michigan guy. The enmity between OSU and Michigan people is pretty real, for Big 10 country anyway, but Clevelanders are almost universally Browns fans before they're OSU fans. It's an NFL town, first, no question about it. If Edwards did well for the Browns, he'd have gotten plenty of love here.

My read on Edwards' personality, from living in the same town, is that the fact that he comes from a fairly affluent, two-parent, suburban background works against his ability to be a great player. He knows he has options outside of football. Poor kids need football, and many dedicate themselves fully to it, but I don't think Edwards has ever felt like he needs it. (For an example, there's the famous story of him asking Will Demps how to get into modeling and acting, between plays, during a game with the Texans).

I expect that Edwards will be very good for the Jets, and get himself a good contract extension after this season. New York is the town he wants to be in, and at his best, he can be like Tiki Barber, a guy who is interested in a lot of other stuff, but finally focuses pretty well on football, and has some good years under some tough coaching. Just don't be the person who believes the nonsense about him being a bad player, because he is not one.

n. The Dolphins offensive line is really one-dimensional, because their Tackles, Jake Long and Vernon Carey, severely lack foot quickness. Both guys can really move defenders off the ball in the running game, though. I am a big fan of Justin Smiley at LG; he's a mauler. The Dolphins do well in their wildcat stuff, but I think they should play more with their QB under center, to generate opportunities in the play-action game. It's the only way their QB will ever be able to consistently take a very deep dropback, unless they want to max-protect with a limited pattern.

o. Wow.... two successful fake punts in one first half by the Jets. I don't know if I have ever seen that before. Brad Smith was almost stopped on the second one, but he managed to get away from the tackle.

p. Chad Henne has looked much better than I thought he could play the last two weeks, but I am not sold on some things. For one thing, since when do QBs have lousy, jail-house looking tattoos, or any tattoos at all? It's like when an enlisted guy in the military becomes an officer, and suddenly looks a little different, sporting a bunch of ink. (My buddy who is getting married in Dallas in about 2 weeks is actually one of these.) Anyway, it's weird to see a QB with that going on. As a player, he looked really good, though.

q. Ted Ginn put a pretty humbling move on Darrelle Revis in the 4th quarter Monday Night. When you hear scouts talk about suddenness, Ginn is not a guy who really has it, as opposed to somebody like Percy Harvin, who does. Ginn does, however, have world-class speed once he gets going, and he ran by the outstanding Revis for a go-ahead TD.

r. I usually ignore MNF while I write the bulk of ST&NO on Monday nights, but this Dolphins-Jets game was terrific. Both of these teams are playoff-caliber teams, and only one of them will probably make it.

s. The Packers had a bye week, and signed Mark Tauscher, which was smart. I think he is below-average, (and so is Chad Clifton), but they are a damnsight better than Daryn Colledge and Allen Barbre. If Aaron Rodgers can get sacked only 3-4 times per game, as opposed to 8-9, the Packers would have a better chance to beat good teams. Rodgers does tend to hold the ball too long at times, and I am sure the Packers are working with him on that, as well.

t. There were a lot of lousy games this weekend, which weren't particularly relevant to anything. I didn't bother with them. (That means you, Buffalo-Cleveland and Washington-Carolina.)

4. Between The Lines - Patriots at Broncos

a. The Patriots pass-protected very well in this game, much better than I expected them to. Matt Light and Nick Kaczur really held their own against Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and others. The Broncos mostly tried to play coverage, and generally didn't blitz a lot, but the Patriots handled their 3- and 4-man rushes virtually every time. Once Light was injured, and replaced by Sebastian Vollmer, I felt like the Patriots expressly didn't want to have him singled up on anybody, and they got more conservative with their protection calls. Of course, on the key play where Vonnie Holliday sacked and stripped Brady, and Dumervil recovered, that was only a 4-man rush, and Vollmer was the victim. The Patriots won this battle on volume, but he Broncos got the biggest play.

b. The Broncos also were outstanding in protection. Orton was never significantly pressured during the game, and the two sacks he took were both coverage sacks, delivered by LBs Rob Ninkovich and Tully Banta-Cain. Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris were outstanding as usual. Although Clady did have Banta-Cain on his sack, it's hard to call the play Ryan's fault. Pressure up the middle forced Orton to step backwards, into the area where Clady had ridden Banta-Cain. Sometimes you take a hit for doing your job right. The interior was strong in protection too, especially Chris Kuper. He does a great job anchoring against power rushers. The Broncos were terrific in this area, and won it going away.

c. The Patriots seemed to want to run the ball at Ryan McBean and Mario Haggan, and had a bit of success at it early with Sammy Morris. After that, they seemed to get away from that plan, only running much from shotgun looks. The Broncos defensive line was up to the task, consistently holding the line of scrimmage, as they have in all five games. Noteworthy performances were turned in by Ronald Fields, Le Kevin Smith, and Kenny Peterson, in addition to McBean. These big guys just continue to hold up. Logan Mankins was tough for the Patriots, and Dan Koppen was steady and crafty. Kaczur had a couple nice early blocks on the opening possession too. This battle was pretty even, in the final analysis.

d. Vince Wilfork was the best all-around player on the field on Sunday, and he couldn't be blocked. If the Patriots don't pay him, I'll be shocked, but there are actually rumblings that they may not. The rest of the Patriots defensive line got pushed around in the running game. The Broncos blockers were terrific in opening up holes for Knowshon Moreno and LaMont Jordan. Clady, Harris, and Kuper were especially noteworthy for their efforts in the running game. Wilfork did make a key stop on third-and-short, and blew up Hamilton on the play. Moreno's 4.2 yard average was a lot better than teams usually get from the Patriots. This is a win for the Broncos.

e. Remember a year ago, when the Patriots physically dominated the Broncos on both lines? That did not happen Sunday. The matchup was pretty even, with a slight edge going to the Broncos. This was very important to the final outcome of the game, as always.

(I am scrapping the BTL feature for another game. I am pretty overloaded lately, and I need to save the 90 minutes per week. It seemed like the best place to cut from. Sorry for anybody who will miss it.)

5. Weird comment from Pat Kirwan on NFL.com:

5. Things I didn't like

When the visiting Patriots lost the coin toss in overtime and the Broncos drove the field and kicked a winning field goal, it left me wanting more than that to decide a winner. Wouldn't it have been great if, after Denver's field goal, Tom Brady had one drive to score a touchdown?

Is Kirwan saying that Brady should get even more special treatment, because he's Brady, or is he saying that the NFL should allow both teams to get the ball at least once in overtime, as a rule for all teams? I typically like Kirwan's work, but this has me pretty confused.

And for the record, I don't think it would have been great if Brady had one drive to score a touchdown. To me, moving down the field after winning the toss, and kicking a winning FG is legitimate. I also think the Broncos play-calling would have been a bit different, once Knowshon Moreno got them inside the 30, if they felt like they really needed to play for a TD.

6. Big up Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post, for reminding us, via Twitter, of somebody who hasn't come forth with their mea culpa yet. I'm looking at you, Rick Reilly, purveyor of puff pieces.

Actually, Reilly's words were more mean-spirited than anybody's, so he really owes Josh McDaniels an apology.

@DenverBroncos : Deadspin compiles all the not-so-nice things Rick Reilly wrote about McDaniels last spring. Pretty interesting. http://deadspin.com/5379838/delighting-in-rick-reillys-massively-wrong-broncos-predictions

I don't normally read Deadspin, but nice work by Tommy Creggs here. Some interesting reminders:

Reilly on April 3rd: "And none of it would've happened without McDaniels' ham-handed style and his Macy's-balloon ego. I have a buddy who honestly believes McDaniels thinks this is fantasy football; that Pat Bowlen gave him a whole team to play with and screw over in his own image and what the hell, if his moves don't work out, his league has a special "mulligan" rule and he can start over. Only there's no "oops" rule in the NFL. Years from now, the Cutler Catastrophe will go down as the dumbest thing in Boy Blunder's very short coaching career. By then, perhaps he will be your waiter at Olive Garden."

That was right after the Cutler trade. Nice, huh? Try this one out:

Reilly on April 29th: "To repeat: Boy Blunder used a [first-round pick] to take a second. And if the Broncos are going to be as lame as I think they're going to be-4-12 perhaps-that first-round pick will be very high. McDaniels is the worst combination of things: Terribly naïve and doubly confident. Bronco fans, you're screwed."

And one more pearl;

Reilly on September 29th: "You can't just bolt your team because you think it's going to suck. (Which the Broncos are. There is no debating that. They are going to lose more than France. Just because you worked under Bill Belichick and you wear your sweatshirt like Bill Belichick does not mean you are Bill Belichick.)"

I would have been glad to debate Reilly on September 29th, or any other day. And if Josh McDaniels was my waiter at Olive Garden, I'd tip him pretty well, because I tip well, and because I bet the service would be outstanding.

I mean, like they say on ESPN, C'mon Man! This drivel was worse than what came from any of the serious-ish reporters, right? Your garden-variety John Clayton, Peter King, or Don Banks were smug and disconnected from reality, but it wasn't personal. With Reilly, this was clearly PERSONAL. Where are you at, Rick? Being a Denver guy, I suspect you'll see this, or at least hear about it, from somebody who does. Ted Bartlett from MileHighReport.com wants to know where you're at with this today, and is directly, publicly asking, on behalf of the thousands who realize how wrong you were, and think we have a great Head Coach.

Hell, if I find out that Chad Henne's tattoo is actually beautifully and tastefully done, and I had it all wrong, you can bet that I'll man up to it publicly. Same goes for anything I ever say, in all seriousness. Maybe accountability to readers is a blogger thing, I don't know.

7. Retired for John Elway

8. So, there's a hellaciously stupid line of thought that's circulating throughout the punditry (as always, meant negatively.) It seems that there are two kinds of people: those who dichotomize, and those who don't. The punditry tends to dichotomize, and there are two kinds of coaches right now. Hot Coordinators (including some retreads like Mike Nolan, Gregg Williams, and Mike Mularkey), and Super Bowl Winning Retreads. And lemme tell you, nobody wants a Retread. Why not? Because they're Retreads, stupid!

My favorite contrarian Andrew Perloff tells us so in his crack column Against The Grain: ("A weekly NFL column that heads in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis." Just in case you were wondering....)

3. The NFL information men are hot on the trail of finding out where former Super Bowl-winning coaches like Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher will end up. But shouldn't we be asking ourselves if those coaches are the right hires for franchises like Washington, Dallas and Carolina? A retread coach with a ring is still just a retread. Duplicating that kind of success is still a longshot in the NFL. Some of the organization problems within those teams would cause just as big a headache for a proven winner.

Perloff has a point about the organization problems, but calling somebody a retread, and assuming that they suddenly can't coach is asinine. Analysts who don't know how to analyze always look for correlation, and assume causation, where there often is none.

Some teams, like the Redskins and Cowboys, will almost certainly make big-splash hires. Some, like the Bills and Jaguars, will be cost conscious, and probably hire a coordinator. Some, like the Panthers, could go either way. You can believe that whatever is deemed to be the trend du jour, (probably hiring coordinators), the other path will be criticized. Such is life with the dichotomizing punditry.

9. Another fun Ted Bartlett prognostication from the preseason:

The Broncos are going to have the best defense in the AFC West.

I guess I am just hot this year. :)

That's all I have for this week. Have a great Tuesday, and beyond, and we'll see you Saturday for Lighting Up The Scoreboard, even as I will be at Notre Dame this weekend for their game against USC. It will be my first time seeing Touchdown Jesus, so we'll see what that does for me as a guy who grew up Catholic. Maybe I will tweet from the game. Follow me at @TedBartlett905. Thanks for reading, and go Broncos!!!

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Lions

ncoolong — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:55:57 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Browse more photos »

The Lions got off the schnide in Week 3 with a big win over Washington. Then they hopped right back on via a thorough whipping at the hands of Chicago in Week 4. New Look Lions? Maybe not so much, but former Titans defensive coordinator, now Lions head coach, Jim Schwartz has them going in the right direction. (Just look at what happened to Tennessee since he left) He's got a strong ex-Steeler, a multi-faceted defensive end and a promising quarterback. The PZB has nickname ideas, a look at our opponent's preparation and The Big Legursky.

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

Pride of Detroit writer Sean Yuille gives a run-down of team notes, including an interesting tidbit about Bears WR Johnny Knox's controversial touchdown in Week 4 (he also calls for Tigers manager Jim Leyland's job. Ouch. Don't ever count the Twins out, Sean).

Pride of Detroit is breaking down Detroit's Red Zone efficiency, sponsored by Comcast's Red Zone Channel.

Fans posting on Detroit Lions Forum.com aren't exactly optimistic with their chances Sunday.

The versatile DE/OLB Julian Peterson is studying, says Detroit Free Press writer Nicholas J. Cotsonika.

Ford Field is officially sold out for Sunday's game, which obviously means the Steelers are coming to town.

Last Game

"We never make it easy, it seems." - Willie Colon

What's easy? Almost entirely shutting down one of the better offenses in the game? The league's 27^th-ranked rushing offense exploding for 177 yards? The fact the offense ran 73 plays to San Diego's 47? The fact Pittsburgh won the time of possession battle 40:20 to 19:40?

I could go on...5-for-5 in the Red Zone, 4.9 yards per carry, 8-for-12 on third downs...So Stefan "Joystick" Logan had a ball ripped out of his hands when the play should have been blown dead, and there's some work to do on potential onside kick situations. Other than that, it was as solid of a three-phase effort as Pittsburgh has shown over the past two seasons. As Coach Tomlin often says, they don't give out style points. Even if we insist on the idea of "closing teams out," 2-2 sounds a helluva lot better than 35-7 does.

Opponent Spotlight: LB Larry Foote

"We all know that (Foote's) a top-quality player and person, high character guy and great leader for those guys." - Mike Tomlin

I was at McGovern's in St. Paul, chomping on a brat at the Steelers Fans of Minnesota's annual pregame picnic in Week 2. The Vikings were playing the Lions, and a few of the purple faithful who invaded our bar took exception to the cheering from my table after former Steelers LB make a tackle for a loss, and did his Stomp Out routine.

Usually, the Steelers who leave Pittsburgh don't leave under the best circumstances. Joey Porter was ticked at the franchise for their lack of desire to give him $20 million guaranteed. Plaxico Burress was no different.

If Week 5's game was in Pittsburgh, I get the feeling Larry Foote would receive a boisterous ovation. A fourth round pick in 2002 - arguably GM Kevin Colbert's best all-around draft - and became a keystone of a foundation that won two Super Bowls. Probably not surprising to anyone, he leads the Lions in tackles through four games. While it probably comes as a shock to most people, Foote is leading a defensive unit that is aggressive, physical and what's worse for the Steelers, is growing in confidence.

They haven't quite learned how to put it together for an entire game, but in stretches, they've looked quite imposing.

Physical, confident, imposing...that certainly sounds like Larry Foote. If James Harrison and Troy Polamalu were the heart and soul of the Steelers defense in their most recent Super Bowl championship season, Foote was the mouth.

His teammates say they miss him. I'm sure the fans do as well. For the team, he's one of the guys who does things the right way. For the fans, he's a fearless, emotional sparkplug. I'll admit it, I'll be cheering the same way for him Sunday as I have since 2002.

He's a Steeler for life.

Steelers Spotlight: Rashard Mendenhall

"He had a good week's practice. I'm not going to take any credit for that." - Mike Tomlin, on Rashard Mendenhall

Whether we call him "Delicious," or "Runnin' Hard Rashard" or just "Mendy," Rashard Mendenhall's introduction to high production party Sunday night was a thing of beauty. Forget San Diego's suspect defense, the level of run blocking oftentimes is keyed off how hard the running back is playing. In turn, the running back is running as hard as the hogs up front are blocking.

Both were clearly dominant, and it was a joy to watch.

While he's holding down the fort in Willie Parker's absence, the offensive line will enter Week 5 with a large amount of confidence. Coming off their most dominant performance of the season, it gives them a week reprieve from the slings and arrows usually associated with their production. It wasn't that Parker didn't get the same level of effort, it's that Mendenhall had the same sizeable monkey firmly planted on his shoulder as each member of the line did. They clearly were taken to task the week before the Chargers game, and Mendenhall broke out of the gate, and neither he nor the line ever looked back. He was decisive, sharp and powerful.

Detroit isn't exactly going to take Pittsburgh to the shed defensively. All signs point to Mendenhall making his second start of the season, and the Steelers should use it as an opportunity to grow even stronger in the run game.

I See You

I see you, Doug Legursky. I see you, because according to Coach Tomlin, the decision to put you in at fullback on goal line situations against San Diego was more spontaneous than anything, and it was made largely due to the fact you made yourself available to do it. However you can get yourself on the field, whatever role you can fill, right? Fill that role, you certainly did. With FB Frank Summers regulated to the IR, and H-back/TE David Johnson out with an ankle injury, you blew out a hole at the goal line for Rashard Mendenhall - one of his two touchdowns on the game - and helped supplant confidence for anxiety in the Red Zone. Championships are won situation by situation, and the confidence needed to win those championships is built by knowing someone is always willing to fill a role. Credit to Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians for noticing all value in each player, and trusting their back-up center's athletic ability enough to know he can move fast enough to lead the glory back to paydirt. But more than anything, credit to "The Big Legursky," we needed the confidence boost.

Key Stats

Pittsburgh has beaten Detroit in two of their last three meetings dating back to 1998. That game is memorable to Steelers fans...something about a coin toss.
The last time the Steelers played at Ford Field, they defeated Seattle 21-10 to win Super Bowl XL.
James Harrison's two sacks against San Diego gives him 31.5 in his career, moving him to 8^th all-time in Steelers history, just above Mike Merriweather and Chad Brown (31).
Detroit is surrendering 6.2 yards per play, the highest in the NFL.

Quick Hitters

Pittsburgh, Philly, Boston, In That Order: Congratulations to Pittsburgh, being named the top sports city in the U.S. and Canada, by The Sporting News. Both myself and site publisher Blitzburgh lived in Philadelphia, and we can both attest to the maniacal sports following of that town. To be considered an overall better sports market is quite the achievement.

Get Your Roll On: While Lions coach Jim Schwartz seems to want to make it a surprise, Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford hasn't been officially held out of Sunday's game. At this point, its likely veteran Daunte Culpepper will get his first start of the season. This is the same Culpepper who turned down the Steelers' offer to back-up Ben Roethlisberger (a job that eventually went to Byron Leftwich) because he wanted the chance to start. Probably a very unwise move by Culpepper and his agent (they're the same person). Then again, this is the same quarterback who was part of the "Floating Orgy" with the Vikings in 2005. Along with the agent/player relationship he has with himself, my favorite part of the confused Culpepper is the way he calls a huddle together. Here's a game for you, count how many times Culpepper interlocks his fingers with his arms over his head, the universal signal to call a huddle, over the game. Bonus points given to the confusion on his face, or if he's the last one to join the huddle, which has already formed without him.

Woodley the Scribe: Nod to Surag for pointing this one out, but it seems Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley has found a way to help bolster his salary. Per the editor's note at the start of his article, Woodley will bewriting for Sports Illustrated off and on this season. Good for him, it's good exposure, and it seems our pass-rushing monster can string a sentence or two together. His main point of contention, of course, is the league's protection of quarterbacks, and offensive players in general. At the risk of swinging at this softball myself, I thought Jason Whitlock makes an excellent point, "Why can't there be a 5-yard running-into-the-Brady call and a 15-yard roughing-the-Brady call?" The need to protect the cornerstone franchise player is inherent; the league can make the penalty far less severe as to not damage the integrity of the game being played. Then again, any penalty that hurts the Ravens seems ok to me.

Horse Tracks 10/9/09 - Buckhalter probably out Sunday; Fred Taylor definitely out for Pats

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:08:04 -0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZAPPA!!!!!!!

NFL Films - Week 5: Patriots vs. Broncos Preview - Video

DB - Preparing for the Elements - Zach Eisendrath
I like this - an awful lot. McD had the team practice in less-than-ideal weather yesterday (and says they'll continue to do so) in preparation for games with nasty conditions (as Sunday could prove to be). This, rather than practicing within the cozy confines of the bubble. I think back to snow games in recent years and what stands out are a couple of horrific losses on Monday Nights - one to the Colts and that idiot kicker Vanderjagt, another to Jokeland and Jerry Porter.

NFLN - Brandon Marshall interview - Video
BMarsh finally opens up, to Michael Irvin in an interview which will air Sunday morning at 9am ET on NFL Network. He admits to having erred in judgment this summer, letting his emotions getting the best of him and failing to follow his agent's advice.

N - Brandon Marshall: "It's exciting to be a Bronco" - Bob Glauber
"The second game of the season at halftime everyone left (the locker room), getting ready to go back out there and I stayed and I sat in my locker, put my head down with a towel over my head. I thought I was the only one in there and I broke down (in tears). I heard a voice and it was Brian Dawkins. He tapped me four times on my back…he said ‘Come on baby.’ And once I heard that, it’s like my teammates are with me…I’m going to get through this. And I think everything is on track, we’re on track. It’s exciting to be a Bronco." – Marshall on being benched vs. Oakland and how the experience motivated him

USAT - Taught by Belichick, McDaniels giving confidence into Broncos - Jarrett Bell
"He always told me," McDaniels said, "'If you feel that's the best way to do something, then you're probably right. Do it that way. Trust yourself and trust your instincts.' "... "One thing it means," he says, "is that there's a lot of people outside this building that really didn't know what was going on the whole time, anyway. This was never about Brandon and I disliking one another. I love coaching the kid. He practices hard. He's got great energy. He's a young kid, getting better."

Y! - Discarded Dawkins becomes Broncos' treasure - Mike Silver
"Having him here is amazing. I’ve never seen anybody like him. You can see his emotion, how passionate he is about the game. It’s wild. He’s so hyped. He’s in his moment, and you love being around him. Most of all, he can play. Guys at 23 aren’t doing what he’s doing." - Champ on BDawk

NFLTA - Dumervil's defense - Video
I'm sure it burns him, but Jamie Dukes says he thinks the Broncos have a "puncher's chance" Sunday versus the Pats. At least Eisen doesn't let him off scot-free...

NFLN - WK 5 Playbook: Patriots vs. Broncos - Video
Theismann loves the Broncos D, while Sterling loves the Pats' no-name guys.

NFL FanHouse - Picking the Brain of Bill Belichick - Thomas George
"There are a lot of impressive things about him. Very smart. The type of person you can give 10 different things to do and ask him about one of them and he will be right on top of it...The type of person who can juggle a lot of balls. And know where they all are." - Belichick talking about Josh McDaniels in a fascinating interview. Thanks to Elizabeth for the link!

SI - Denver Broncos defense in midst of staggering turnaround - Kerry J. Byrne
"the power of the Denver defense is even more impressive when viewed through the pigskin periscope of the Quality Stats that we use to rate teams at ColdHardFootballFacts.com. Quality Stats are those indicators that have a direct correlation to team-wide success."

DPP - Briefs: Dumervil plans on treating Brady like every other QB - Klis & Jones
BDawk missed practice again with a sore knee and shoulder, instead walking through drills. Ben Hamilton and Alphonso Smith were again limited participants.

DB - Legacy Game Sparks Memorable Weekend - Jim Saccomano
Sacco shares plenty of details about the AFL celebration; it goes a lot farther than just old uniforms - sounds like it'll be a great experience.

DB - Week 5 - Thu: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Week 5 - Wed: Transcripts - McDaniels, Orton, Dawkins

NFL - Thursday Injury Reports

LTC - McDaniels gears up for Patriots - Brian Howell

CSG - Coach says Broncos will practice outdoors in any conditions - Frank Schwab

DPP - Q&A: Sneak not seeing much action yet - Jeff Legwold
I'm with this reader and would like to see the Broncos use the QB sneak on short-yardage situations.

DPP - Brady's year of transition - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Analysis: Brady won't get rattled — defense must be solid - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Paige: 5-0 would be a Super sign for Broncos
I'm not sure why previous 5-0 teams have anything at all to do with the Broncos' chances should they win on Sunday, but Woody seems to think he knows...

AP - Bailey relishes increase in passes coming his way - Pat Graham

DB - Tackling Hunger With a Helping Hand - Chris Gentilviso
The wives of several Broncos players worked a shift at a Denver Rescue Mission site Wednesday, serving food to the hungry.

FOX - The truth is sexy ... and so are NFL Truths - Jason Whitlock
"It's comical watching everyone fall over themselves praising Josh McDaniels for Denver's 4-0 start when the Broncos' undefeated start is the No. 1 reason McDaniels should be ripped."

ESPN - John Clayton breaks down the biggest NFL games of Week 5 - John Clayton
"A win or a loss in the showdown won't define McDaniels' start in Denver. The Patriots' former offensive coordinator has exceeded expectations by winning his first four games. His defense, in particular, has exceeded expectations."

CST - Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton: Looks like a QB draw - Neil Hayes

ESPN - Melissa Isaacson on the impact of the Kyle Orton Trade

Patriots News

NFP - Is Taylor's injury a concern in New England? - Matt Bowen

BG - Taylor had surgery today, could be done for season - Christopher Gasper
Don't get too excited; they still have Maroney, Faulk, Morris and Green-Ellis...

BH - Ankle surgery grounds Fred Taylor indefinitely - Ian Rapoport

BH - Mike Wright pays for wrong - Ian Rapoport

BH - Patriots DBs catching on - Ian Rapoport

AFC West News

NFP - Diner morning news: family feud in San Diego - Mike Lombardi

SDUT - Handing out roses - Mike Fleiss
Evaluating the Dolts' roster at the bye.

SDUT - Bye comes at good time for Bolts - Kevin Acee

KCS - LJ says it’s time for offense to move forward - Adam Teicher

KCS - Haley might have help designing Chiefs’ offense - Kent Babb

Y! - Raiders' Russell set up for failure - Charles Robinson

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Unspecial teams, Bush, etc. - David White

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Russell: Feels fine, no fines - David White

OT - Raiders notebook: Russell dismisses Esiason's criticism - Steve Corkran

OT - Raiders let one get away in Tollefson - Steve Corkran

NFL News

NFL - Thursday injury reports: Texans’ Williams out again

NFL - Carr ready to play for Giants if injured QB Manning can't go

NFL - Mum's the word: Stafford, Lions not saying much about QB's injury

NFL - Burleson likes Hasselbeck's chances of starting for Seahawks

NFL - Bucs S Jackson returns from suspension, could play vs. Eagles

NFL Opinion

NFL - Pick your poison: Defenses trying to adjust to QB protection plans - Vic Carucci

NFP - Rush Limbaugh and the Rams - Robert Boland

SI - What we know 1 month into season - Don Banks

CBS - First-quarter report: Parity a rarity as middle class erodes - Pete Prisco

SN - Rebuilt and rollin': New coaches turn three teams' fortunes - Albert Breer

NFP - Tavern talk: ‘Skins have talent problems - Mike Lombardi

SI - NFL overprotects offensive players - LaMarr Woodley

CBS - Mangini finally gives Browns, fans reason to believe - Gregg Doyel

PFW - Reconsidering Kolb's future with Eagles - Eric Edholm

PFW - Quarterbacks now back in vogue - Tom Danyluk

NFL - Former top picks Russell, Manning square off at Giants Stadium - Gil Brandt

SN - Week 5 picks: Brady a challenge for Broncos' D - Vinnie Iyer

SN - NFL Football Picks
Once again, only 2 Sporting News writers see a Denver win

SI - The Peter King Challenge

NFP - The Daily Jolt's week 5 picks - Ray Gustini

NFL - Safety issue: USC's Mays has skills to pull of an NFL first - Bucky Brooks

PFW - USF safety Allen impresses - College Notes - Nolan Nawrocki

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers: 2nd Half Open Thread

Blitzburgh — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:10:44 -0000

Well, if nothing else, I think it's safe to say that the 2009 season is going to be much like the 2008 season. Inconsistent offense, timely defense, solid special teams and loads of frustration for those fans looking for perfection out of the Black 'N Gold. It's 7-7 heading in to the 2nd half. The Titans will get the ball first and all eyes will be on whether or not Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley return to action after being dinged up in the 1st half. Polamalu went to the locker room early after having his knee tweaked when Alge Crumpler fell on it. Woodley apparently is dealing with cramps.

Come on Steelers! Dig out a tough victory in what could be the team's toughest opponent all year.

Go Steelers!

Arizona Cardinals Training Camp: Stock Up, Stock Down (Version II)

Hawkwind — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:22:04 -0000

More photos » by Don Wright - AP

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed (14) attempts a catch as Arizona Cardinals' Bryant McFadden (25) and linebacker Karlos Dansby (58) defend during the first quarter of a pre-season game. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

Browse more photos »

With training camp in the rear view mirror and the Arizona Cardinals focusing on preseason contest #2 against the Chargers, it's about time to update our 'stock up' and 'stock down' lists. Most of the movement will be based on the performances from the previous game against the Steelers, but the past week of practice will carry some weight as well.

Last week we focused only on the guys that we termed 'bubble' players but this week we'll open it up to the entire roster in order to get a better idea of how some players are impressing or disappointing.

LaRod Stephens-Howling: The little man from Pitt continues to impress and word out of camp is that he may have leapfrogged Jason Wright and moved into the third spot on the depth chart. LSH looked minuscule at times trying to pick up opposing blitzers but he's working to improve and he's certainly got some wiggle with the ball in his hands. He'll get an even bigger role on Saturday considering that he'll get a shot as a kick returner so we'll get to see how he operates in space. Another solid showing could move secure him a roster spot.

Michael Adams: It's crazy to think that two 5-7 players stole the show in the Cards preseason opener but that's exactly what LSH and Adams did on Thursday. Adams played quite bit once the backups came in and despite his obvious lack of size his heart and desire are on display every time he steps on the field. He got burned deep once on a jump ball against a receiver who had half a foot on him but Adams has the fearless type of attitude that coaches crave on special teams and as long as he continues to perform like that, he'll make this team.

Calais Campbell: Moving from the little people to the giants, Campbell was a beast against the Steelers starting left tackle. He was stout against the run and got into Ben's face on more than one occasion. One solid preseason performance won't replace Antonio Smith but his first game action went a long way to easing some people's concerns.

Herman Johnson: Speaking of another giant, Johnson performed about as well as you could expect from a rookie drafted in the fifth round. He struggled a couple of times with speed rushers and had some miscommunication on one play, but overall he flashed the potential that the Cardinals saw when they drafted him. Of course we have to mention that he also made a highly athletic play tackling a corner back in the open field.

Greg Toler: The amazing athletic but very raw corner from St. Paul's College, played pretty well for his first exposure to the NFL. It's pretty clear that he still relies more on his athleticism than a sound understanding of opposing offenses and instincts but he made some plays against the second and third string that offer some hope that he possesses the ability to become a future starter. Consistency is most important, and hardest, aspect for a young player to master so we'll see if he can continue his impressive play.

Tyler Palko: It's almost hard to believe that an 8 for 15 performance with a touchdown and an interception against the 3rd and 4th string defense could make a guy so popular but Palko was awful impressive against the Steelers. His escapability and unwillingness to give up on a play were admirable and his arm looked better than advertised. Palko is still a long shot, at best, to make the roster but he's showcasing himself for 31 other NFL teams and if he continues to play like he did against the Steelers, he'll end up on someone's roster.

Orea Jones and Lance Long: Both Jones and Long are buried on the depth chart on a team stacked with the league's best wide receivers but that didn't stop them from playing an impressive game. Both made some decent receptions and showed some ability to pick up yards after the catch. They will have to continue to impress throughout the preseason but if they can duplicate their performance against the Steelers, I wouldn't be surprised if one or both found their way onto someone's roster this season.

Leonard Pope: After impressing some people early in camp Pope did anything but that in the preseason opener and he's returned to his inconsistent ways this week of camp. Many thought that he short-armed a ball against the Steelers to avoid a hit and he's dropped a couple of easy passes this week in practice. With so much competition at tight end, Pope must improve or he could find himself on the outside looking in when the final cut comes down.

Cody Brown: Brown played at least two full quarters and part of a third but had very little impact on the game, even though he was facing the second string and third string of the Steelers offensive line. He was noticeable a couple of times in coverage but considering that his pass ability is his strength right now, there are was hope that he'd be able to pressure the QB. He'll certainly get plenty of playing time again Saturday and he's not in danger or being cut, but at least for one night he was outperformed by his fellow sixth round draftee, OLB Will Davis.

Brian St. Pierre: We all know that BSP looked terrible on Thursday but Whiz acknowledged that he didn't have much help. BSP will be the second QB to take the field and if he's put in the same situation as Leinart, that means he'll take some snaps with the first string. Of course that also means that he won't be able to hide behind any more excuses. If he wants a legit shot at the backup QB job, it's a "now or never" scenario.

Alan Branch: I hate to keep beating a dead horse so I'll be short. Branch continues to underwhelm and nothing that he showed against the Steelers makes you think that he's turned the corner and is on the verge of dropping the underachiever label. He probably won't be cut but the note that he'll get some snaps at defensive end isn't exactly encouraging news.

Levi Brown: Coming into his third season there was some hope that we'd see a much improved player on the verge of a breakout year but one preseason game into the 2009 season, Brown looked like the same guy. Granted there will be about 16 tackles that struggle with LaMarr Woodley with season but you'd hope that Brown could go two series without giving up a sack.

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Who else was impressive or disappointing and who has the best chance to make this list next week?