SB Nation - Jason Elam

Horse Tracks 12/2/09 - Harris returns to practice; Prater named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:36:17 -0000

DB - Week 13 - Tue: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Preparing for the Chiefs’ Playmakers - Chris Gentilviso
"I am going to just make sure that I apologize to anybody that was offended by the language that I used the other night on the sidelines during the (New York Giants) game," McDaniels said. "I certainly didn’t intend for that to come across in that fashion and would hope that that never happens again. I’ll try my best to make sure that it doesn’t from my end, but anybody who was offended by that, young or old, I know that’s not the kind of example that I want to set or that we want to set here with the Broncos organization. I would ask people to accept that apology for that incident."

DP - RT Harris returns to practice - Lindsay Jones
"In addition to Harris, several other players who have missed either practice or game time recently were back at practice, including WR Eddie Royal (thigh), RB LaMont Jordan (neck), DT Marcus Thomas (shoulder), CB Ty Law (hamstring). The only player absent from Tuesday’s practice was linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who suffered a neck injury against the Giants."

DPP - Broncos hope Moreno's learning curve leads to postseason - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Broncos kicker Prater vindicated by Elam's release - Mike Klis
Sad (about Elam), but true.

LTC - Ripe for holidays - Brian Howell

DB - Moreno in Running for Weekly Award - Zach Eisendrath

DB - Prater Kicks His Way to Weekly Award - Zach Eisendrath

DB - Prater Named SP/T Player of the Week - Broncos TV

INDT - Something’s missing in New England - Hunter Ansley

DPP - Analysis: QB's total turnovers the best way to rank efficiency - Jeff Legwold
I can't say I agree with this...I'm happy Orton is our QB this year, he's doing a very good job; but I would never, ever put him in the same class as the guys listed. QB rating may not be perfect, but it's one of the better measures out there.

DPP - Q&A: NFL teams use doctors to determine availability of injured players - Jeff Legwold

DP - It’s OK, Josh, I swear - Jim Armstrong

CSG - McDaniels aware of Broncos' Arrowhead history - Frank Schwab

CSG - McDaniels apologizes for profanity - Frank Schwab

AP - Former Broncos Jason Elam Released By Falcons

DP - Broncos' McDaniels praises ousted Weis - Lindsay Jones

DP - Denver prosecutors won't seek death penalty in witness killing - Felisa Cardona

AFC West News

ESPN - How I See It: AFC West Stock Watch - Bill Williamson

NFL - Chiefs will retire Thomas' No. 58 during Sunday's game

KCS - Chiefs secondary has been exposed with big plays - Kent Babb

SDUT - Numbers game - Bill Center

SDUT - Chargers acquire LB insurance - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Say this for Browns, they’re not worthy - Jay Posner

SDUT - Cromartie assault case goes to City Attorney - Debbi Baker

SDUT - Stadium vise grips NFL cities - Tim Sullivan

OT - Al Davis has Oakland Raiders in downward spiral - Monte Poole

SFC - Sign of the times - Photo
HA! Spectacular.

OT - How billboard drive got started - Jerry McDonald

NFL News

NFL - Steelers expect Roethlisberger to play at Raiders

NFL - Cooley: Redskins’ system is ‘carousel of calls’

NFL - Eagles sign Celek to six-year extension

NFL - Bears sign veteran linebacker June

NFL Opinion

Y! - Macho attitude undermines concussion policies - Jason Cole

NFP - Coaches can help identify concussions - Jack Bechta

Y! - Redman's 'insurance' policy a wake-up call - Mike Silver

NFP - Diner morning news: Can anyone beat the Saints? - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Tavern talk: Bucs’ Morris had options - Mike Lombardi

SI - Mike McKenzie bolsters Saints defense; NFL MVP debate - Peter King

CBS - Three-headed MVP race will be photo finish - Clark Judge

NFL - Colts win by any means necessary (and, of course, Manning) - Vic Carucci

NFL - Patriots' porous defense doesn't bode well for playoffs - Steve Wyche

FOX - Saints, Pats play a bit of role reversal - Alex Marvez

FOX - Schein 9: Colts built to be NFL's best story

NFP - Adams needs to leave coaching to Fisher - Matt Bowen

ESPN - Filling the holes in Chicago - Kevin Seifert

NYT - Steven Jackson: So Many Carries, So Few Victories - Chase Stuart

Y! - The 10 best plays of the decade - Chris Chase

Power Rankings, Etc.

ESPN - NFL Power Rankings Week 13

CBS - Power Rankings: Titans rise from depths to push for playoffs - Pete Prisco

FH - NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Can Saints and Colts Go 32-0? - Josh Alper

Falcons Release Kicker Jason Elam, Sign Matt Bryant

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:06:32 -0000

More photos » by Bill Feig - AP

Goodbye, Jason Elam. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

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It's been apparent for weeks that the tandem of Jason Elam and long-snapper Bryan Pittman wasn't getting the job done in Atlanta.

This was, after all, a career low percentage of field goals made by Elam, who before had only dipped to 72%. This year he was making 63.5%, and while there were clearly other issues besides just his leg, something had to give. Rather than remove one piece of the equation, the Falcons embraced wholesale change.

According to the always reliable Adam Schefter, Elam and Pittman have been released. In their place, the Falcons signed experienced kicker Matt Bryant, a tough as nails guy who was injured in pre-season and hadn't broken back in with a job, and long-snapper Joe Zelenka, who handled duties for the Jacksonville Jaguars for eight years. They're both excellent choices, my preference for a younger kicker the Falcons could mold aside.

It's fair to ask if any of this would be happening if long-snapper Mike Schneck, a guy who I respect tremendously, hadn't gotten injured. It's also fair to ask if Elam's fighting some kind of nagging injury. At the end of the day, though, this was about the Falcons recognizing a problem and fixing it. If Elam had been allowed to come in to the game and had missed a critical kick against the Eagles this weekend, the backlash against the coaching staff would have been tremendous, and Bryant could have been snatched up by another kicker-hungry team around the league.

I wish Jason Elam well and want to thank him on behalf of The Falcoholic for the tremendous boost he gave us during a magical 2008 season. Let's hope Bryant really is the answer.

Falcons And Bucs Recap: The Pit And The Pendulum

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

Victory is sweet, no matter how sour the path to get there may be. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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The Atlanta Falcons were going to lose to the Tampa Bay Bucs.

You could see it in the way they were playing. You could hear it in the comments offered up by readers of this very site, readers who have learned over time that the Falcons have historically found a way to lose the games they're supposed to win. It was apparent from a series of increasingly despondent text messages tlozwarlock and I sent back and forth. It was especially apparent after Jason Elam missed another field goal, the final twist of the knife after a day of injuries and ineptitude.

But let us not forget that the Falcons didn't lose this game. It wasn't an inspiring win, the kind you're going to tell your grandkids while you bounce them on your bionic knee in your floating space condominium after the Great Mars Wars of 2073. This was just a win, an ugly win, that moved us to 6-5. It doesn't speak well to the future of this team, necessarily, but it's still a damn win. At the end of the day, we're one step closer to throwing off the shackles of our losing reputation, and that's the greatest victory of all.

So I urge you to keep some perspective today, especially after I finish telling you how badly the Falcons stunk on Sunday, with a little praise mixed in. There's the pit we've just come out of, and the pendulum which could swing back the other way at any moment. Makes it tough to plan out the next few weeks, doesn't it? You can find that after the jump, of course.

HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Redman? More like Chris Reliable! Am I right?

Redman put the Falcons on his back. He doesn't have the arm Matt Ryan does or the long-term potential, but he played an efficient game of football, avoided costly turnovers and made throws when he absolutely had to. That touchdown strike to Roddy White was a thing of beauty. Given the circumstances and the fact that two-fifths of the starting offensive line had to leave the game, Redman played a terrific game. He had some miscues, but I find it difficult to aim too much criticism his way when he did everything he could to earn the W. Huge credit to Redman.
Give huge props to the receiving corps, as well. Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins were open often and made nice catches, and Roddy White sealed the win with a great catch in the end zone. Down to Marty Booker and Eric Weems behind them, the big three in our passing game stepped up their game and made things happen, and that goes hand-in-hand with Redman's performance. Awfully proud of them.
Welcome back, Jerious Norwood. With a touchdown catch and a couple of nice runs, Norwood looked weapons-grade again and made a dent in the Bucs defense. Glad he's healthy, because we're going to need him.
The USS Babineaux fired some serious fumble missiles at Josh Freeman, as did the SS Chevis Jackson. Babineaux continues to be the best the offensive line has to offer and Jackson delivered a pair of punishing hits yesterday, giving him the appearance of our most physical cornerback. Really, though, the team needs to figure out some way to help Babineaux out more so he can rush. He's got the nose for it.
Michael Koenen can boot it. That kid's got more leg than a chorus line.
Jason Elam did hit two field goals and both of his extra points, but....

LOWLIGHTS

...he also missed another field goal. There's a reasonable argument to be made that the change in long snappers has caused Elam some problems, and there have been bad snaps on a couple of his field goals. Still, he's converting field goals at well under the league average rate and that missed field goal Sunday could very well have cost the Falcons the game. If the coaching staff has any trust in him left, it had to have been struck with a heavy hammer yesterday.
There are no words that can properly express how angry I was with the decision to play Michael Turner before he got injured, and the fact that he got injured again—same ankle, mind you, regardless of which part of the ankle—made me apoplectic. There was no need to trot him out there when he would've benefitted from another week of rest, no matter how much of a warrior he is, and aside from one admittedly very nice run he had zero luck moving the ball down the field. I know he probably wanted to play and the Falcons are treating each week like it's the playoffs, but playing Turner against the Bucs cost us far more than it helped us. Still pretty pissed off about that one.
The injuries in general hurt a lot. Matt Ryan's loss didn't end up being as terrible as it might have been, but we need him down the line. Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl are critical pieces of in pass protection and absolutely must get healthy or we're boned. This has been a problem all year and it actually got worse in a hurry Sunday.
Jason Snelling. Four carries isn't nearly enough to get a good rhythm going, but he also managed to fumble the ball at a very, very bad time and lose it. That will hurt the coaching staff's confidence any day of the week.
I happen to think that Josh Freeman is a promising young quarterback with a very bright future in the NFL. I do. That doesn't lessen the sting of allowing him to put up his best game as a pro, a game which saw him pass for 250 yards and two touchdowns without a single pick. John Abraham can point the finger all he likes, but outside of a few hurries later in the game, the line got little to no pressure on the quarterback today and Freeman had more time than a clock factory. And the secondary? Let's just say inserting Chris Owens into the lineup didn't cure all of those very noticeable woes.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: You could make an argument for either the wide receivers and Gonzo or Redman, but I'm going with Rojohombre. Just an inspired performance from the backup.

Game Theme Song: This one because it's semi-relaxing and hey, we could all stand to find a little beauty after Sunday's game.

One Thing To Take Away: There are 100 ways to win and lose the game of football, and the Falcons experimented with a lot of them. It's going to be awfully tough to beat a team like the Eagles if we can't get our act together.

Next Week: Speaking of the Philadelphia Eagles, they're up next. Dealing them a defeat would significantly bolster our playoff hopes, so go do some scouting over at Bleeding Green Nation.

Final Word: Whoa.

Post Game Thread: Falcons Rise From Grave, Deal Bucs 20-17 Defeat

Dave the Falconer — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:43:51 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

Thank the football gods that this wasn't the defining play of the game. Or any of the other 100 mistakes. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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Apologies to The Grinch, but the three words which best describe that game were as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk.

The fact that the Atlanta Falcons walked out of there with a win was, frankly, a miracle. You rarely see a team lose so many starters to injury in one game, play like a team of soccer players learning the American version of football for the first time and still pull out the victory. It was the kind of finish that necessitates someone blasting you with a dart full of elephant tranquilizer so you don't go insane and destroy Tokyo. I'm too jazzed up to make sense. Be patient with me.

But the win does not mask a host of failings from the Falcons that must be addressed if we're going to have a prayer of hanging in for the rest of the schedule. My advice is to soak this one in, enjoy the fact that we somehow actually won it, and then begin preparing for an ugly week ahead. While you're here, some pennies for my thoughts?

Chris Redman came in and essentially willed the Falcons to victory, with an enormous amount of help from Tony Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins and Roddy White. The passing game was the only thing working well today, and it eventually ended up saving the Falcons. Big ups to all of them.
Jason Elam must go. I'm aware of the limitations of the other options out there, but it's time. He very, very nearly cost us the game.
The defense clamped down when it counted in the second half, but they never made it look easy. If not for that missed field goal by Tampa Bay, we might be having a different conversation, but it could have been a lot worse the way Josh Freeman was playing.
We're going to delve into this more deeply in the near future, but the injuries were crushing. The decision to play Michael Turner today is at the top of a short list of things this coaching staff has done that are indefensibly dumb, but I would love to hear a reason.
....Holy crap! We won!

Saturday News And Notes: Commandeering The Tampa Bay Bucs

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:00:31 -0000

by Brian Blanco - AP

There be Bucs afoot. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

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Arrr and stuff.

I apologize for the brevity of this post and previous ones, but you know how it is. Holidays and travel time tends to sap the energy and mental acuity of a man who didn't have much of either to begin with. We'll gear back up in time for the game tomorrow.

For now, let's jump into a few links regarding the Tampa Bay Bucs, The Falcoholic's official enemy.

Optimism is running high for Bucs fans. Of course, they are consulting a magic eight-ball, which should tell you something about how bizarre this NFL season has been.
This Michael Turner thing is getting a little out of hand, frankly. Jerious Norwood appears to be ready to return, Jason Snelling proved last week that he's capable of carrying the load, and yet the coaching staff continues to insist that Turner's questionable and he could play. I know our coaching staff has taken a page from the Bill Belichick handbook when it comes to injuries, but it's utterly ridiculous to trot Turner back and risk worsening his injury against one of the few t eams remaining on the schedule that we might not need him against. I assume this is an elaborate ruse, but I'll be pretty unhappy if it isn't.
I do appreciate that the team is rallying around Jason Elam. It's what professionals should do when one of their own is struggling. I also appreciate that our friend Daniel Cox over at the Atlanta Falcons Examiner points out that this isn't just a little slump Elam is having. What I'm not sure I understand is how Brandon Coutu is not a better option right now than Elam, considering the strength of his leg and the fact that he only lost his job in Seattle because Olindo Mare was possessed by the ghost of 1990 Morten Andersen. If the team is serious about keeping him, let's hope he hits those kicks coming up.
John Abraham blaming the secondary? We all know Abraham's numbers are down, but it's a little shocking to see him point the finger up the field, even if he's at least partially correct. I also really hope this article isn't correct about Chris Owens taking away snaps from Brent Grimes and Tye Hill. What is it going to take for Chris Houston to get bumped down the pecking order, exactly, especially because I don't believe Grimes and Hill have been visibly worse than him this season?

Horse Tracks 11/25/09 - Brian Dawkins and Ryan Harris limited participants in Tuesday's practice

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:53:06 -0000

DPP - After four straight losses, Broncos players meet without coaches - Mike Klis
BDawk called the meeting. Leaders lead...

NFL Films - Week 12: Giants vs. Broncos Preview - Video

DB - Week 12 - Tue: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Stopping the One-Two Punch - Chris Gentilviso
"Brandon Jacobs ranks 13th in the league with 656 rushing yards, while Ahmad Bradshaw sits in 20th place with 549 yards on the ground."

DB - Making Consistency a Constant - Zach Eisendrath
"After being listed as "did not practice" on Monday, Dawkins (neck) and Ryan Harris (Toe) were limited participants during the team's jog-through on Tuesday."

DPP - Intimidation is a scary thought for the Broncos - Anthony Cotton

DPP - Q&A: Were Broncos' rookies Smith, Quinn overrated? - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Struggling Broncos draw inspiration from season’s early wins - Brian Howell

INDT - Time for another win streak - Hunter Ansley

NYT - N.F.L. Head Injury Study Leaders Quit - Alan Schwarz
THIS IS STELLAR NEWS. WAY TO GO, NFL!

DB - Week 12 - Tue: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 12 - Tue: Dawkins - Broncos TV

NFLN - Broncos report - Video

DPP - Orton: rebound will require a team effort
"Running back LaMont Jordan (back), who missed Sunday's game against San Diego, was held out of practice and is not expected to play Thursday"

DPP - Goal is a fiery team that can keep its cool - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Analysis: Broncos' defense must find mental edge - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Broncos fans appreciate Orton - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos face some injury uncertainty - Frank Schwab

DPP - Numbers: Pass the football and stuffing, please

DB - Mile High Thanksgiving History - Jim Saccomano

AP - Plummeting Broncos Out To Regain Their Composure - Arnie Stapleton

SN - Giants-Broncos Preview - Santosh Venkataraman

AP - Ex-Broncos in the news: Shanahan, Elam

Giants News

DPP - Giants quarterback Manning name is measure - Mike Klis

NYT - This Season, the Giants Are Missing Something Elemental - Joe LaPointe

NYT - Injury to Bradshaw’s Other Foot May Limit Him More - Joe LaPointe

NYDN - Giants' return to Denver to play Broncos on Thanksgiving evokes fan's fateful 9/11 journey - Mike Lupica

NYDN - Entering Thanksgiving game vs. Broncos, Giants need some swagger - Filip Bondy\

NYDN - RB Ahmad Bradshaw skips practice with sprained ankle, could miss Broncos game - Ohm Youngmisuk

NYP - Giants' defense must stand tall in crunch time - Paul Schwartz

NYP - Bradshaw likely out with new injury - Paul Schwartz

NYP - Jacobs eyes big stretch run - George Willis

NSL - NY Giants: Looking back, looking ahead with Denver as Thanksgiving opponent - Mike Garafolo

NSL - NY Giants putting trust in strength and conditioning coach Jerry Palmieri for quick turnaround against Denver Broncos - Jenny Vrentas

NSL - NY Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw injures other ankle - Mike Garafolo

AFC West News

Y! - Calm approach has Chargers back on top - Mike Silver

ESPN - How I See It: AFC West Stock Watch - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Bolts sign Runyan as Clary is put on IR

KCS - Underdogs get a reward - Kent Babb

SFC - Video board puts punter in tough spot - David White

SFC - Marshall Plan of the week - David White

SFC - Short week means long hours for Raiders - David White

NFL News

PFW - Week 12 matchup tidbits

USAT - Could Bills' price tag for Mike Shanahan reach as much as $50 million? - Sean Leahy

FH - Jason Elam's Job in Jeopardy as Falcons Bring in Kickers for Tryout - Knox Bardeen
Ugh. I hate to see this...

NFL - Steelers expect Roethlisberger to go vs. Ravens despite concussion

NFL - Ailing stars Stafford, Johnson watch as Lions prepare for Packers

NFL - Cowboys TE Witten could sit out vs. Raiders with sprained foot

NFL - Buccaneers place once-starting QB Leftwich on injured reserve

NFL - Eagles give RT Justice four-year extension after he becomes starter

NFL - Schottenheimer denies he’s a Bills coaching candidate

NFL - Panthers LB Johnson placed on injured reserve; Senn signed

NFL - Bills try to bolster ailing O-line by signing ex-Steeler Simmons

NFL Opinion

SI - NFL, football hasn't figured out how to deal with concussions - Ann Killion

SN - Scouts' views: Schaub has complete game; Cole's engine never idles - Dennis Dillon

SN - The ABCs of QBs: NFL's best in five key categories

NFL - Six from Sunday: Vikings not undefeated but maybe unrivaled - Pat Kirwan

SI - NFL should be happy with 16-game schedule; Titans thoughts - Peter King

SI - Atlanta Falcons still have hope, more NFL playoff projections - Don Banks

FOX - Schein's Nine: Dolphins are poised for playoff run

NFL - Bills owner Wilson willing to write the check, but who'll cash it? - Vic Carucci

Y! - Connecting with RBs would benefit Roethlisberger - Jason Cole

NFP - Is it time to believe in V.Y. again? - Matt Bowen

NFP - Diner morning news: Bucs still making mistakes - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Tavern talk: Browns miss their chance - Mike Lombardi

NYT - Sleeper Team of 2009: The Ravens? - Toni Monkovic

NYT - Adding Third-Down Proficiency to a Passer Rating - Luis DeLoureiro

NFP - Scout’s notebook: offense - Wes Bunting

NFP - Scout’s notebook: defense - Wes Bunting

Power Rankings, Etc.

ESPN - NFL Power Rankings Week 12

CBS - Power Rankings: Stumbling Broncos find their level - Pete Prisco

FH - NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Reasons To Give Thanks - Josh Alper

Falcons And Giants Recap: Roller Coaster Of Loss

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

The finest display of tackling the Atlanta Falcons had to offer. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Initially, I only saw the first two-and-a-half quarters of this game, and I recognize that things really switched up a bit from there. Still, I think my reactions to what happened can be best summed up visually.

Like this.

Or this.

Or even this.

Basically, it was a game of extreme. Reading through the comments, you can see how people were excited, built up for success and then bitterly disappointed and openly weeping, sometimes in a matter of seconds. It was the kind of game that leaves you emotionally exhausted, and I was only able to track the score every few minutes from the ol' phone.

Unfortunately, the Falcons lost. That's what really makes this hard to swallow, because we've now hit the .500 mark more than halfway into the season. I've been chastised for basically giving up on the playoffs. It's true that we're not so far out of it that we can't come back. It's just that I don't think I can fool myself into thinking that this team, as constructed now, can run the table or pull off four out of five. I still believe that winning season can come and probably will come, but I'd be pretty hesitant to put any money down. It's been an up and down season, perfectly summed up by an up and down game we just couldn't win.

Join me after the jump and we'll break this one down further.

HIGHLIGHTS

Matt Ryan looked as though he had finally reached bottom during the first half Sunday, when he ran like a scared deer and tossed the ball away at every opportunity. When he went into the locker room, people were openly lobbying for Chris Redman to get some snaps. The man who we drafted to be our franchise savior looked, as he had for the last four games, to be anything but.

We'll probably never know what happened during the half, but Matt Ryan came out firing. It wasn't exactly an inspiring performance by the end of the night, but it was one that was mistake free and leaps and bounds ahead of where he had been. It showed the kind of poise and decision-making he had displayed throughout the early games of the season. It was hope for the hopeless, in many ways. It was also a reminder of why you can't give up on young franchise quarterbacks with limitless upside because of a few bad games. Let's hope we can all remember that.
I thought, despite his fairly anemic average by the end of the game, that Jason Snelling did very well filling in for Michael Turner. He clearly wasn't Turner, no, and he wasn't Jerious Norwood, but he did about as well as he possibly could've without either of them around. The fact that he can punch it in when asked to gives him execution points that half our team is lacking.
Tony Gonzalez continues to provide a reliable target for Matt Ryan. I do think that our tendency to force the ball to him has hurt us at times in past games, but here Gonzo was a great help to Ryan throughout and deserves to be recognized as such. He's on pace for some very nice numbers, and he remains our best red zone target.
Eric Weems hauled in a touchdown and did well in the return game yet again. With our other options at receiver—excepting Roddy White, of course—either ineffective or injured, it amazes me that he isn't getting more run. One of these days, maybe the coaching staff will decide it's time to get him the rock.
You say Curtis Lofton managed to be in on almost every play again and helped to make a critical goal-line stop that would've held if not for the secondary? Ho hum.
Stephen Nicholas had a sack and a forced fumble? Big kudos there.
Say what you want about Brent Grimes, but that dude can grab a pretty interception. I remain mystified as to why Grimes gets lumped in with the rest of the secondary when he's done very well most of the year. Hopefully he continues to get his chances to steal some passes.
The offensive line was pretty good through most of the game, I thought. Credit where credit is due.

LOWLIGHTS

Michael Jenkins, what the hey hey happened to you? It's like he's reverted to the old days where you could count on him to drop a key pass every week. As great of a blocker as he is, we're paying the dude a lot of money to be a reliable third option in an offense where the opposing team is always going to be keying in on Roddy White and Gonzo. The fact that he's suddenly unable to get it done is really, really hurting us.
Jason Elam is a classy veteran and a guy who I'd probably love to have a beer with. I say this to soften the blow of what I'm going to say next: We need to cut ties with Jason Elam.

Whether you're going to replace him with an older kicker as a stop-gap or sign a young guy like Steve Hauschka, Graham Gano or Brandon Coutu, it's time to let Elam go. The kicks he's missed for us this year have been incredibly costly and have left me wondering if the coaching staff has any faith left in him. With a young kicker, at least we could tolerate the occasional miss because it's part of growth and development. With Elam, it can't really be anything but a sign of decline, and that worries me.
Michael Koenen was clearly just having a bad week, but you rarely see him look that terrible, and it was also very costly. If not for Special Weems, we'd be failing that entire unit.
Let's say it one more time. The secondary really looks awful this season. If the Falcons aren't going to commit to bringing in a talented free agent or drafting a top-flight young cornerback, then someone over there in Flowery Branch has lost their minds.
And yeah, we lost.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: Hard to pick for a number of reasons, but let's go with Tony Gonzalez. Dude was consistent all game and really helped Matt Ryan get back in the saddle.

Game Theme Song: A shocked, speechless silence, followed by a sigh.

One Thing To Take Away: Sometimes even your best efforts at a stunning comeback aren't enough.

Next Week: We'll try to snap this losing streak against the woeful Tampa Bay Bucs, represented by our friends over at Buc 'Em. I don't dare take them lightly.

Final Word: Losingsucks.

Post-Game Thread: Falcons fall short of stunning Giants in OT, 34-31

tlozwarlock — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:48 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Props to Mr. Jason Snelling, who filled in for Mr. Turner very well. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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So we’re now officially no longer "winning" our season at a dismal 5-5, .500 mark. With Tynes’ field goal in overtime, the Birds’ stunning fourteen point comeback was halted. We have now lost two games in a row for the second time this season. Last year, we accomplished that horrid feat not once. I’m not exactly sure where this loss puts us in the desperate hunt for a playoff berth, but I know it certainly didn’t help. One thing’s for sure, with a 1-5 road game record, the Falcons won’t be winning any tie-breakers.

There was and will continue to be many of you calling for Jason Elam’s head on a platter. In this case, he missed one field goal that would have had the Birds up by three at the end of regulation. For what seems to be the second week in a row, Elam’s shanked attempt throbs the worst amidst the pain of defeat.
I have to say that, given the opportunity, I would have gone for two after that last touchdown. Sure, we may have lost by one if we hadn’t gone for it, but we would have walked away a winner had it succeeded. A missed conversion would have at least taken fate (a coin toss) out of the mix.
Our offense was, much as it has been, up and down. Case in point: Jenkins was clutch on the final drive to the game-tying touchdown, but missed an easy touchdown in the third quarter that would have gotten the game much closer, much sooner.
We are in desperate need of Norwood and Turner. Our offense had very little balance in the first half.
A credit to our defense's performance in the first quarter. A debit to them for the rest of the game, save that last three and out to force OT.
Take some solace in the fact that our team, as depleted by injury that it is, made a game out of it. We didn't lose ugly.

Expect Dave to ruminate and weigh in on things with his game recap tomorrow morning. For now, I'm going to go make myself some waffles.

New York Giants notes: Falcons story should sound familiar

Ed Valentine — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:20:03 -0000

by Donna McWilliam - AP

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

View full size photo »

Reading about the 5-4 Atlanta Falcons these days feels an awful lot like reading about the 5-4 New York Giants.

Here is an example.

Matt Ryan is struggling. Michael Turner is hurting. Jason Elam can't seem to make a field goal.

Yep, the Falcons definitely have plenty of things to worry about as they head into a decisive stretch of the season.

Now, at a time when some doubts may creeping into the team psyche, the Falcons face three games over the next four weeks that will likely determine the course of this season.

Coming off a surprising trip to the playoffs last season, the Falcons were convinced this would be the year they finally broke the franchise's streak of never having consecutive winning seasons. A 3-1 start certainly bolstered those hopes, but two wins in the last five games have undoubtedly caused some to wonder if that ignominious streak will continue.

"It's not about just being average," receiver Roddy White said. "A lot of us are going out there saying, 'I've got one job, I'll just do that.'... We've all got to get out there and do more, be more productive."

The Falcons are being vague about the status of Turner, the star running back who has a high ankle sprain.

There is also concern about a sophomore slump for Ryan, the young quarterback who was so impressive as a rookie. He has thrown 12 interceptions already this season, one more than he threw all of 2008. One blogger has even gone so far as to raise a comparison to Michael Vick.

We're all a little queasy about Ryan's slump because of our collective experience with the Falcons' last young phenom signal-caller. Mike Vick's best season was his first year as a starter. He regressed thereafter to the point that his Untergang was a blessing in disguise for the franchise. There is a slight sense of deja vu for Falcons fans with Ryan having played on a very high level as a rookie and then regressing as a second-year player.

Giants notes

The Giants believe they can, and will make the playoffs

"We’ve got the personnel in here to do it," said Jeff Feagles. "We showed we can win a lot of games in a row. We did it at the beginning of the season, there’s no reason we can’t do it at the end."
Eli Manning Transcript
Justin Tuck Transcript

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:18 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall is stopped by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall during the third quarter of the NFL football game, Nov. 15, 2009 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Here we are again, with another loss to contend with. This one is worse than the last two, because this one looked like a sure victory when we were marking off W's and L's on the schedule. Of course, if Kyle Orton didn't get hurt, it probably is a W, and the Broncos are still sitting on a 1-game lead over the Chargers. Since that's not the way it played out, we have to do the other thing.

We'll get into the details, from soup to chocolate cake, and make some sense of all this, because that's what we do here. We'll explore what happened, we'll find some things to feel positive about, and we'll have some fun. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. There's a certain interconnectedness to a football game, and its outcome, among all phases of the game, and all 45 active players. I've talked about this many times before, and John Bena called the loss a team effort in his postgame writeup. I would call this a team effort whose final score is mostly attributable to the poor second half play of the offense, and mostly, of Chris Simms.

What I mean by that is this. Over the first 6 games of the season, the Broncos led the league in scoring defense. They were especially strong defensively in the second half of games. That trend has been turned on its head the last 3 weeks. The last two weeks, especially, I believe that the main reason why the defense struggled in the second half was that they were on the field for too many plays, due to the struggles of the offense. Each side of the ball needs to help the other. The Broncos have been getting shut down on offense, and worn down on defense, and it's been difficult to watch.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were going on and on Sunday night about how the Colts led the NFL in scoring defense heading into this week. If you've watched the Colts, they don't even have a particularly good defense, if there is any chance you can run the ball against them. They have allowed so few points because they deliberately shorten the game when they're on offense, and because once they get a lead, the strength of their defense comes to the fore. They rush the passer well with four men, and drop 7 men into cover-2. If you stay out of situations that are favorable to Indianapolis, you can gash their defense.

This is what has been happening to the Broncos as well. Remember - in the first 6 games, the offense did its best work in the second half of games. They possessed the ball, they took their time, and they methodically controlled the games. When the defense was on the field, they were fresh, they substituted frequently, and they made plays to get off the field quickly.

Kyle Orton played great in the first half Sunday, just as he'd played very well in the first half of the Pittsburgh game, (outside the one interception). For all the hollering that went on about his lack of deep throwing, he threw a couple very nice deep balls for TDs to Brandon Marshall, and he just barely missed another to Eddie Royal. That opened the field vertically. He also did a very nice job on a few bootleg throws to Tony Scheffler, and a crossing pattern to Marshall. Those plays stretched the field horizontally.

The Broncos had Washington where they wanted them. Remember, they moved the ball on the possession where Correll Buckhalter fumbled, and they had the 17-play drive at the end of the first half, to take the 3-point lead. The Orton injury changed the entire complexion of the game. Simms simply couldn't complete a pass, and didn't seem to know where to go with the ball, and a lot of good work by Knowshon Moreno was wasted.

Most teams will struggle when they lose their starting QB. That's a function of the fact that there aren't 32 good QBs in the NFL, let alone 64 of them. I came into this game thinking that the Broncos are in good shape with Simms, if they needed to use him. I hope that he shows better if he has to play against San Diego, after a week of first-team reps. I still do tend to think that Simms can play.

You hate to have a game get away from you because your backup QB couldn't cut it. The only thing worse would be if two games got away for that reason. I expect that Josh McDaniels will have Simms ready to go next week, and that the gameplan will play to his strengths, if they need to use him.

You have to be careful not to let one game unduly affect an evaluation of a team. All the time, teams lay eggs in games, and lose (or nearly lose) to teams they should blow out. Look no further than New Orleans on Sunday, who seemingly tried to lose to St. Louis. Not to say that Dallas should have blown out Green Bay, but they shouldn't have gotten dominated like they did, either.

There's a lot of Chicken Little stuff going on here, and the one thing that will stop it is a victory against San Diego next week. Yes, I know that the Chargers are on a winning streak and the Broncos are on a losing streak. Remember when the Broncos had won 6 in a row, and the Ravens had lost 3 in a row? The Broncos can beat San Diego, which we know, because they already have this season. If they win that game, they'll re-take command of the division, with a one-game lead, and a sweeping of the head-to-head matchup.

2. In the big-time matchup of the week, the Colts got a win against the Patriots, and on Monday, Bill Belichick is being blamed by everybody who doesn't like him personally (AKA just about everyone). The fact is, Belichick has never curried favor with the media, and reporters tend to be critical of you every chance they get, if you don't pay them their due deference.

Joe Biden could tell you all about how that works. He never trusted the media after their treatment of the death of his first wife and daughter in 1972, and it always hurt him later, particularly in his two Presidential bids. John McCain and Barack Obama both have very deft touches with the media, and longstanding strategies of providing them a lot of access, and it was no accident that both were the nominees of their parties in 2008. If you're going to be a public figure, there's a clear benefit to cultivating relationships with reporters. The thing is, not everybody has the stomach for it, and Belichick is one of those guys who doesn't. Brett Favre benefits immensely from his relationship-building efforts, to the point of it being sickening most of the time. I heard somewhere recently that Favre spends hours with the TV guys on Saturday afternoons, as long as they want to hang out, and they really can't help but love on him.

Back to the lecture at hand, I would have done exactly the same thing as Belichick in that game situation, in going for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28. Why did he do it? Because he was pretty close to certain that he would lose the game if he punted, that's why.

Let's say you go by the book, and punt. Over all 2,293 punts in the NFL in 2008, the average net change in field position was 39.53 yards. The right call, if you ask Peter King, or others, was to punt, and give Manning the ball at his own 32, with about 2 minutes, and all 3 timeouts left. I say that that is choosing to lose the game in a way that will leave the coach blameless, as far as the idiot media is concerned. Well, he trusted his defense, and he played the percentages; it's not the coach's fault. Except he didn't play the percentages.

First of all, let's get this nonsense about trusting your defense dispensed with. You should always trust your defense. Former defensive players like Tedy Bruschi, Matt Bowen, and old friend Tom Jackson love this line of thinking, but it's utter horse (manure). You should only trust your defense if you think they are likely to make the stop, and win you the game. If you think they aren't, then it's a fool's errand to trust them. You say to them, hey, realistically, you guys probably weren't going to stop Peyton Manning, which really doesn't make you much different from any other team's defense. There is no room for blind machismo, or making a statement, or worrying about hurt feelings; this is about winning football games, nothing more.

I didn't spend a great deal of time on it, but I took a look at every game recap for the Colts since 2005. (I think 4 ½ seasons is a reasonable sample size.) Since then, including the postseason, Manning has had the ball late in the game, trailing, on 19 occasions which I counted. He came through to either tie or take the lead 15 times, which is a 79% success rate. (In 2007, he was 1-for-4, which was pretty aberrant for this sample. Two of those misses were against the strong 2007 Chargers, whom the Colts struggled to pass-protect against.)

Here's the deal. Statistically, you have a 60% chance of picking up 4th and 2, but that probability is almost certainly greater, due to the fact that you have an outstanding offense, and the Colts have an average-at-best defense. If I were Belichick, I would have put my conversion probability at 70% for that play. That same source says that an average team returning a punt, given those field position- and time parameters, scores 53% of the time. We already know Manning succeeds 79% of the time, because he's one of the greatest QBs ever.

You can choose to probably win, or you can choose to probably lose, in one moment. What do you choose?

Belichick chose to probably win, and came up on the side where the probable outcome wasn't the actual outcome. Serious poker players know exactly what I am talking about here. Sometimes, you play the hand correctly, and you go all-in with the best cards, but you lose anyway. It's a fact of life. You accept it, and you don't complain about it, because you know you made the right call, regardless of the outcome. The next time you're faced with the same situation, you do the same thing, again, because it was the right call.

When I got home Monday night, all I saw and heard was TV talking heads second-guessing the decision. Stuart Scott pretty much butchered the stats, but he actually cited our friends at AdvancedNFLStats.com. The shockingly anti-intellectual Steve Young promptly claimed that the stats aren't legitimate (except they are). We got to hear from Tedy Bruschi how he'd feel as a defensive player on the Patriots, as if that's germane to anything at all. Trent Dilfer's blood boils when he hears the "other side" of the argument, AKA the correct side. Blah, blah, blah. (Sorry, brief possession by an ex-wife-like-entity again.)

Just imagine the reaction if Kevin Faulk had made the 2 yards. The stories today would have been about the stones on Belichick, and how he is such a great coach to make a risky call. It would be like Mike Shanahan going for 2 in the Hochuli Game last season. (Shanahan correctly thought that was his best chance to win. He felt he had a better-than-50 percent chance of scoring the conversion, and he knew that he had a 50% chance of winning a coin toss, and about a 98% chance that the Chargers would score in overtime, if he lost the toss.)

I'm no great defender of Belichick, the man, but when he's right, he's right. If it's an average QB, and an average offense, you might punt in that situation, but against Manning, that's always going to be the wrong call on 4th and 2. Once again, Belichick is smarter than the average bear, and smarter than every member of the football MSM.

3. Information From My Eyes - Broncos at Redskins

a. All four deep throws Orton made were good throws. Eddie Royal misjudged the one incompletion, and Brandon Marshall got out-fought by DeAngelo Hall on the second, but both were definitely well-thrown balls.

b. That fake field goal was a debacle, but I don't personally blame Mike Priefer. My goat on that play is Darrell Reid, who was telling Marcus Thomas to cover Mike Sellers, while he decided to contain the left edge of the offense, as the play flowed right. Alphonso Smith caught some initial blame, but I disagree there. He was in deep center field, and flowed with the play, like anybody would coach him to. Who knew Hunter Smith could throw back across the field?

c. Ryan Clady got beat badly once on Sunday. That doesn't happen often at all, obviously. That's the first sack he allowed that I would say was fully on him.

d. From the department of good news, Matt Prater doesn't seem to be having a second-half slump this season.

e. I was very impressed with Knowshon Moreno's vision and quickness on Sunday.

f. I've already made my evaluation of Mitch Berger, so everybody knows where I am at on that one. I saw somewhere where Frank Schwab, some beat reporter, speculated that Mitch Berger's 65-yard punt might save his job. If a kick that went about 42 yards in the air, and rolled 23 on the ground can do that, something absurd is going on.

g. I had a busy workday Monday, which set my schedule back, and is unfortunately going to preclude me from taking the time to do Between The Lines this week.

On watching the game a second time, though, it occurred to me that the bulk of Washington's success in running the ball was on zone-blocked plays. As I think about it, the Broncos haven't faced much of that this season at all; really just Oakland, who does it crappily. That's really something to work on, because the lateral movement seemed to unsettle the Broncos defensive line.

h. D.J. Williams got blocked a lot, and took a lot of bad angles. Again. This is getting to be an annoying habit.

i. Andra Davis continued to be a bright spot. He is a terrific blitzer and has a great sense of timing for delaying his rush. His missed tackle on that Devin Thomas catch and run in the 4th quarter was bad, but he otherwise graded out very well.

j. On a painful second pass watching the game, Chris Simms lacked timing with the receivers, as much as anything. Every throw was a little late. It seems like Orton may be able to play next Sunday, but if it's Simms, I hope a week's worth of reps will help him build some timing.

4. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. I was really curious to see the Buffalo-Tennessee game, and I recorded the Short Cut overnight, and watched the game Monday evening. Why would I care about this game? Well, the two teams played in the Hall of Fame Game, way back when it was still warm in Cleveland, and my girlfriend at the time called at halftime to break up with me.

In that game, the Bills couldn't block Tennessee, and the Titans looked like a Super Bowl team. So, I wanted to watch Sunday's game, because I wanted a good sense of where these two teams are. Tennessee probably isn't going to make the playoffs, after starting 0-6, but they've righted their ship, and they'd be trouble if they did make it. Their defensive line is still nasty, and I continue to be impressed with the job William Hayes is doing in replacing Jevon Kearse.

b. On the other side, the Bills still are below average on their offensive line. Their two highly-drafted rookies, Eric Wood, and Andy Levitre, particularly struggled, as they both had in the preseason game. Levitre even ended up playing some LT, due to an injury, and he really struggled outside. Wood got pushed backwards consistently in the passing game, and he's been generally pretty good as a rookie. The Bills need to shore up their offensive line in the offseason, and I am sure their new head coach will make that a priority, if they hire a competent one.

c. I am ready to make a pronouncement. If Vince Young couldn't run, he'd be the second coming of Trent Dilfer. He really isn't much of a thrower of the ball, and he leaves too much air under his throws. You can get by with him in a run-heavy offense, which is what the Titans really are.

Because he can run, he adds a useful element, and the team is really dangerous on option plays, and QB runs. His running ability can dictate that teams play man-to-man defense, and keep a guy out of coverage to spy him. Really, the Titans are back to being the 10-6ish team they were in 2007. I think they'll ultimately decide to stick with Young for next season, and look to build up the interior of their offensive line, and their back 7 on defense.

d. It seems like forever ago, but I did watch the Chicago-San Francisco game intently last Thursday. I think my first thought that I'd like to share is that the Bears defense played like they had some pride. I think Tommie Harris playing well made a huge difference. He is really the key to their whole scheme. I ripped him, and them, last week, and I told the guy from WCG who took exception that I'd say when they played well on defense. They did.

e. I don't really feel like I should say anything about Jay Cutler, because this column aims to stay away from saying obvious things. I'll just say it must be nice to have so many apologists when you mess up. He's like the second coming of Ronald Reagan with how teflon he is.

(Tangential ST&NO story - Reagan is a member of my fraternity. When he died in June of 2004, I was a senior at CSU, and President of my chapter, and I was asked to go on local television, to talk about Reagan as a fraternity man. Our guys did a fundraiser, and jumped on a trampoline for 54 straight days in the 80s, to break a Guinness record, while Frater Ronnie was POTUS. He sent us a congratulatory letter, so I focused on that with the news chick, Angie Lau. I had nothing but nice things to say, as Ronnie was definitely a good fraternity man.)

f. Peter King is really proud of himself for naming San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin a midseason All-Pro as a NT. When Franklin got that scoring-area INT early on last Thursday, I kind of groaned, because I knew there was going to be some crowing about it.

I never have felt like Franklin jumped out, so I watched him closely, and my review is mixed. He didn't play a lot of snaps, so I wonder about his conditioning. He did play pretty stout against the run at times, and I felt like he was a good player overall when he was on the field. I could easily name 10-12 interior defensive players who are better, though. I guess it's fun to have a guy who is your guy, though.

g. Is Marc Bulger a veteran QB? I have always thought he was, but his command of clock management seemed really bad on Sunday. The Rams had a pretty good shot to beat the Saints, and Bulger and his receivers blew it. Man, I can't tell you how much I would hate to be associated with that team, in any capacity. It's got to be so disheartening to have no talent, be almost completely uncompetitive, then have a chance to beat an undefeated team, and blow it. Can you imagine what it's like to be a fan of such a team?

h. Reggie Bush had a really big game for the Saints on Sunday, stepping up from his usual "highly-paid-decoy" role. It's interesting to speculate on how the Saints value him. Obviously, they don't think he's a full-time RB, but he's paid like he's Adrian Peterson. I'd be happy to have him as a swing player, between RB and WR, but he's a backup at both positions, and I'd only pay him backup money. We'll soon see what the Saints think, because if I recall correctly, his contract is pretty well back-loaded.

i. Josh Freeman continues to look like he's the real deal for the Buccaneers, and Raheem Morris continues to look like he's gotten his bearings as a Head Coach. Both did a nice job in Sunday's game, despite Miami's comeback victory.

j. Speaking of Miami, I want to address the "Wildcat." The Dolphins are the only team which has had a lot of success with it, and every time they have a game with limited success, somebody speculates that the "trend" has run its course.

The thing is, Miami doesn't treat it like a trend. They treat it as a key part of the way they play offense, which puts their best players on the field together. They are committed to it, and they will continue to run it. They trade the disadvantage of being formationally unlikely to throw for the advantage of having 2-3 players who are good ball-carriers, who might get the ball in the running game. Other teams are finding that the direct-snap game maybe doesn't work for them. For Miami, it will continue to be an important part of their gameplan.

k. Joey Porter has had a pretty sub-par year, and he was a healthy scratch on Sunday. That raised some eyebrows, and Tony Sparano wouldn't comment on it. It actually parallels Adalius Thomas basically being shut down by the Patriots. Both teams are showing that having a big name and a big salary doesn't guarantee playing time, if you aren't producing on the field. Expect both players to be released after the season.

l. Another game I decided to watch on Monday was Jacksonville at the Jets. The Jets miss Kris Jenkins terribly, and their defense is nowhere near as good as it was when he was healthy. They are having to scheme to stop the inside run, and to keep Bart Scott and David Harris clean, and these things used to just happen. I expect New England to blow them out this coming week.

m. I can see why people like Mark Sanchez, but I continue not to be a fan. He's well-coached, and he has excellent fundamentals. I just think he's very limited as a natural thrower of the ball. I consider him to be a poor man's Matt Ryan, which is another way of calling him a middle class man's Chad Pennington.

Sanchez plays in a windy place, which I have noted before, and that's going to always be an issue. Another issue is that the offensive scheme he is playing in is very vertical, and Sanchez is a poster boy for the West Coast Offense. Rex Ryan inherited Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, but I don't think Schottenheimer and Sanchez are a very good match. I have to wonder if the Jets don't make a change in the offseason, to bring in somebody to make the passing game's design more horizontal. Mike Shanahan could do wonders with Sanchez, although he won't be going to New York.

Really, as I think about it, if Sanchez and Jason Campbell could trade offensive coaching staffs, they'd probably both be much better off. Two owners traded teams once; why couldn't this happen?

n. There was a crazy sequence in the third quarter, where Sanchez threw an interception to Quentin Groves, then Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled at the goal line, and then Braylon Edwards fumbled at the end of a 41-yard catch. It was a whole lot of ugly going on at once, like the perennially sloppy tendencies of the Jaguars were rubbing off on the Jets.

o. Torry Holt was a great player for many years, despite playing for some obscure St. Louis teams. Really, you could make a case that he was a better player than a few Hall of Famers. (How about Art Monk, Steve Largent, and Lynn Swann to name a few?) I would go so far as to say that he was better than any WR the Broncos have had in my lifetime, a little ahead of Rod Smith.

My point in giving Holt credit, is that I have to say that I think he is getting pretty close to the end of the line. He has really struggled to get any separation, in the times I have watched him this season. He had two strong games, against St. Louis (bad defense) and Seattle (garbage time in a 41-0 game), but I haven't been impressed with his recent work.

p. I loved the call by the Jaguars to have Jones-Drew take a knee and run the clock out. His apology to his fantasy owners made me cringe, though. I may be 7-3 in the official MHR league, but fantasy football is at odds with my beliefs about football, and I have a hard time reconciling the two things.

q. I couldn't talk myself into watching the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game. Sorry, I know it was a key game, but a game with zero offensive touchdowns offends my sensibilities. (Just in case you were wondering why I had nothing on this game.) I'm sure it was ugly, and I feel fine, personally, having seen the highlights. When I walk into a smelly restroom, I get out as quick as possible. No need to hang around for half an hour, to have a good idea what happened there.

r. Jake Delhomme had a dangerously solid game on Sunday. It was the type of fool's gold performance that makes the regime think they are okay with him as their QB, and really, Jake has been having those games his whole career. The Panthers are suddenly 4-5, and back in the picture for a Wild Card spot, but I really believe that they need a better QB if they ever want to really compete for a championship.

s. Matt Ryan struggled mightily again on Sunday, and his two interceptions were a lot of the reason the Falcons lost the game. His first INT, in the second quarter, led to a TD which set the Falcons behind 21-10. The one he threw in the 4th quarter was converted 3 plays later into the TD which put the game away for Carolina.

Don't get me wrong; Ryan is mostly a good QB, but he has definite limitations, which I have highlighted in the past. He really struggles to beat tight coverage, and he's seen a lot of it lately.

t. Speaking of Hall of Fame-caliber guys who look washed up, old friend Jason Elam seems to have really lost his fastball. He's now 9 for 14, and he's only 3 for 6 between 30 and 39 yards. I would be surprised if he kicks after this season.

u. I always thought Beanie Wells was soft when he was at Ohio State, and he didn't do a lot early this season to change my mind. Lately, though, he's shown a lot better, and he's a big reason why the Cardinals are 6-3, and squarely in control of the NFC West. I've also been more impressed with the play of RT Levi Brown than ever before. He's been blowing some people off the ball in the running game.

v. The Chargers have been really tough in the scoring area lately. Of course, the Eagles helped them out by not even trying to run the ball down there. You have to make the defense think that they have to defend everything, or else they are at a distinct advantage. Only getting field goals of 18, 25, and 25 yards on visits deep into San Diego territory was the difference in that game. A defense can get shredded, as the Chargers did, and if they toughen up in the scoring area, they make up for it. A lot of Donovan McNabb's 450 yards were low-quality.

w. The Chargers sure are paying Darren Sproles a lot of money not to participate very much on offense. He's a lot like Reggie Bush, in being a highly-paid decoy who is never going to be much more than what he is.

x. Hey, Adam Schefter. From a money guy, "large" means thousand. When you say "two hundred fifty thousand large," that means $250 Million. He said that on Monday Night Countdown (Served by Applebee's... really). People misspeak all the time; I just wanted to make sure he knows what "large" means. This is coming from a helpful place.

y. I have to hand it to the Browns. They played really well on defense Monday night. Their offense is just so terrible, that it's no use. Those defensive players are playing for jobs next year, whether it be in Cleveland under a new regime, or elsewhere. Guys who show some pride and effort on bad teams will have some good film for their agents to shop them with. Guys who pack it in will be out of the league, like so many guys who played defense in Denver last season.

z. I actually like to listen to MNF nowadays, as I finish ST&NO every week. The main reason is that I actually think that both Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden are value-adding to listen to. The guys at Mickey Mouse-land spent so many years looking for a good third man, with such horrible results, and they've finally found a good 3-man booth. I actually don't like Mike Tirico, who is good at basketball, but bad at football play-by-play (much like Joe Buck is great with baseball, and abysmal with football).

5. I know the Bengals have always been willing to take on troubled players, but it's hard to imagine what they are thinking in reportedly bringing in Larry Johnson. As LJ was to be the key RB on the Shallow Thoughts team in the official MHR Fantasy League, I can tell you that his performance has been garbage this season. Some of his bad performance can certainly be attributed to bad offensive line play in Kansas City, but Johnson is clearly lacking quickness to the hole, and the leg drive he had in his prime. I just don't see what value the Bengals are going to get out of him.

I've reached midnight, and unfortunately, I need to call it a night. My company is in the process of being acquired, which has caused me to be much busier than normal at this time of the month, and I have an early morning meeting Tuesday. I hope you enjoy this edition of ST&NO, and have a great week. I'll see you all again next Tuesday, hopefully with time to give you my normal output.