- I know everyone is talking about it, so I'd better join in the bandwagon too. Brian Westbrook is definitely one of the smartest and most unselfish players in NFL. No other players in the league, I would say, are willing to sacrifice the chance to score an easy touchdown in order to secure his team's victory. Instead, he took a knee at the one-yard line to allow his team to run out the clock.
- Minnesota Vikings' coach Brad Childress doesn't look like an NFL head coach. His baldness and spectacles notwithstanding, his body language tells me that he isn't even a guy with confidence. I am not at all comfortable to see how he talks and interacts with his players. I would be extremely worried if I were the Vikings' owner Wilf. I would also put him in the coaches' box high in the stadium and let him talk to his players through the headsets. That would definitely make me, and him, more comfortable.
- Since Bobby Petrino's ignominious exit from the Atlanta Falcons, teams will be far less likely to pursue college coaches to lead their football teams. Instead, young NFL assistants have now become the red-hot commodities. Two of the hottest names at the moment are Josh McDaniels and Jason Garrett, offensive coordinators of the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys respectively. McDaniels has the upper hand right now as he knows when to rely on his running backs to win a football game. On the other hand, Garrett appears to have the Mike Martz mentality that he always prefers throwing the ball, regardless of the situation.
- Upset extraordinaire: A really extraordinary one. I'd bet $50 to see the Miami Dolphins to finish the season with a nice little three-game winning streak. And yes, that would mean a victory against the unbeaten Patriots at the frigid Foxboro.
- Quirky stats of the week: Todd Collins, who before last Sunday had not started an NFL game in 10 years, had fewer interceptions (0) than Tom Brady (1) and Tony Romo (3) last week. He also had the same number of touchdown passes (0) as the two star quarterbacks.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Churning out the Bits and Pieces
- While being a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, I have to admit that although they will more than likely secure home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, they will not go very far. The reason? Too many breaks have gone in their way so far. From that crazy comeback at Buffalo (the on-side kick and the twice-taken 53-yard field goal) to that scare at Detroit (fumble after fumble but somehow managed to score the go-ahead touchdown with just 18 seconds left). Sometime somehow their luck will run out.
- I have a gut feeling that the New England Patriots will not go undefeated this season. It's true that they are sitting pretty at 13-0 with two cup cakes (3-10 New York Jets and the 0-13 Miami Dolphins) on their remaining schedule (plus the wildly inconsistent New York Giants). However, they will lose their bid for a perfect season not because of their own undoing. Instead, in a bid to keep annoying everyone, Pats' coach Bill Belichick will decide that he DOESN'T want a perfect season and will somehow allow the winless Dolphins to pick up their first win of the season on December 23.
- And speaking of the Patriots, could everyone please start rooting for the San Francisco 49ers for the final three games of the season? If the season ends today, the 49ers will have the second overall pick in next year's draft. However, the 49ers had traded that pick to the Patriots in order to trade up to draft offensive tackle Joe Staley in this year's draft. Well, who on earth would like to see the rich just getting richer? If the 49ers could win out their remaining games, it would relegate them somewhere down to fifth or sixth in the draft order. It won't mean anything to the 49ers, but it would mean the world for the Patriots-haters.
- I have a gut feeling that the New England Patriots will not go undefeated this season. It's true that they are sitting pretty at 13-0 with two cup cakes (3-10 New York Jets and the 0-13 Miami Dolphins) on their remaining schedule (plus the wildly inconsistent New York Giants). However, they will lose their bid for a perfect season not because of their own undoing. Instead, in a bid to keep annoying everyone, Pats' coach Bill Belichick will decide that he DOESN'T want a perfect season and will somehow allow the winless Dolphins to pick up their first win of the season on December 23.
- And speaking of the Patriots, could everyone please start rooting for the San Francisco 49ers for the final three games of the season? If the season ends today, the 49ers will have the second overall pick in next year's draft. However, the 49ers had traded that pick to the Patriots in order to trade up to draft offensive tackle Joe Staley in this year's draft. Well, who on earth would like to see the rich just getting richer? If the 49ers could win out their remaining games, it would relegate them somewhere down to fifth or sixth in the draft order. It won't mean anything to the 49ers, but it would mean the world for the Patriots-haters.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
12-0
The Baltimore Ravens came oh-so close to toppling the unbeaten New England Patriots earlier in the day. They had been leading for most of the game, but the Patriots converted two fourth-downs in their final drive (one of which was a gift by the Ravens for a holding penalty) and scored the deciding touchdown with just 44 seconds to go.
A quick look at the box score shows that the Ravens had been penalized 13 times for a staggering 100 yards in total. And when you consider their star safety Ed Reed intercepted a Tom Brady pass and returned it deep into the Patriots' territory, only fumbling the ball which was recovered by the Patriots late in the first half, you can really say that they had shot themselves in the foot.
A really gut-wrenching loss for the Ravens, and their frustration was epitomized by the penalty on linebacker Bart Scott, who threw a penalty flag into the stands after the Patriots' final score.
A quick look at the box score shows that the Ravens had been penalized 13 times for a staggering 100 yards in total. And when you consider their star safety Ed Reed intercepted a Tom Brady pass and returned it deep into the Patriots' territory, only fumbling the ball which was recovered by the Patriots late in the first half, you can really say that they had shot themselves in the foot.
A really gut-wrenching loss for the Ravens, and their frustration was epitomized by the penalty on linebacker Bart Scott, who threw a penalty flag into the stands after the Patriots' final score.
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