Our boys beat our cross-border rivals for the 12th straight time, in a 27-14 disappointment yesterday. Yet again, the team was plagued by small mistakes that made the game a lot closer than it should have been. The offense looked great, and the defense looked great. But Josh Cribbs' kickoff return TD in the 2d quarter, and the series of turnovers in the 3rd really put a damper on the scorecard.
As for Ben, he was incredible again. He now leads the league in completion percentage and yardage, and sits at 4th in passer rating. A lot of people talk about the 6th season being a hump year for QBs, and that certainly seems to be ringing true with Ben. The boy is throwing the ball as well as you could hope, and we will now have to see whether that continues... I can't say I'm not worried about Jared Allen next week...
The running game was a little sluggish, but that was more related to Bruce Arians' failure to commit to running the ball. Maybe it was because the passing offense was clicking so well, but it sure seems like he gave up on it yesterday.
The defense has some swagger back. Not sure what it was, but those boys were coming for everyone and everything in orange. Maybe it was just that it was the Browns, but they still looked good.
Willie is done, in my mind. He's old. He's hurt. And he isn't bringing the veteran stuff that would make him valuable (i.e. not fumbling). That fumble was BAD. And yeah, Mendenhall fumbled too, but I think anyone who watched the game saw that for what it was - a wrong/weird call by the refs. The dude was on his back, on top of another player, completely stopped in his progress, for at least 2 seconds.
Which brings me to my next point... What the fuck is up with these weird scores we're giving to teams? Pick-6 against Cincy. Takes it from 13-3 to 13-10. Changes the complexion of the game. Also, potentially, loses the game for us.
San Diego. Jacob Hester on another bullshit, stopped momentum strip. Immediately after the defense comes up big and shuts down the SD offense, up 28-7, that shit happens. Now, admittedly, Logan should have fair-caught the ball at midfield with 3 TD in lead in the second half, but that's beside the point. And let's not even talk about the onside kick.
Detroit. Pick-6. Instead of 14-6, with a chance to go and make it a 2 score game, it's 14-13, and Detroit has life for a lot longer than they should.
And then this past week. (1) The Josh Cribbs return. Up 14-0, with a chance to really put the pressure on, we let them back in. And then (2) Up 24-13, and already having fucked it up once, the Mendenhall fumble happens. Admitted, it didn't end up costing us the game, but let's imagine that those stupid plays never happen.
Cincy is driving late, down 20-9, not 20-15. That's a win.
SD, we go down and score - 35-7. Game over.
Detroit - we score a TD, like we ended up doing, and its 21-6 at the half, and 28-6 going into the 4th. Never becomes competitive.
And last week, we get something, and it's 27-6/31-6. Game ends up being as ugly as it was.
Oh, and we're 5-1. I guess what this is is just more evidence that we aren't as sharp mentally as we could be. And we won't get second chances against either of our next two opponents.
Also of note, some people are bugged by Skippy Reed getting arrested. I don't really care. He likes to party, and sometimes gets in a little trouble. The dude isn't hurting anyone. He isn't driving (which is MUCH worse). He isn't even fighting (worse). He's just drunk in public a lot. And fucking up towel dispensers. As long as he keeps kicking away, and not hurting anyone else, I don't give a damn.
I'm also going to use this time to make some comments on the outlook of the league moving forward:
My pre-season AFC picks were as follows -
NE, PIT, BAL, IND, TEN, SD
I know, not very creative. But I'm feeling OK about most of these picks. It seems pretty clear that the Jets and Miami are going to have a real tough time competing with the Pats in the East. True, they aren't the Patriots of 3-6 years ago, but they're still the class of the division, and now have a lead.
I feel alright about my two AFC North picks, as well. The Bengals are a flash in the pan. True, they've beaten both the Ravens and the Steelers once already this year, but I'm still not convinced that they have what it takes, given the way they were manhandled by the Texans. The Ravens concern me more than the Steelers. They're really struggling, and while their offense has taken great steps forward, their defense has disappeared, and really, it's the defense that wins championships.
I was wrong on the Titans, but really, who wasn't? I didn't see one prediction that had them worse than 8-8. And why would they be? Good defense, good game-managing QB, and an awesome running game. Well, the running game is the only thing that has touched last year's quality, and if you're going to go 2-14, -7 yards passing, well, you're going to lose. Unless you're playing the Bills.
The Colts and Texans look to be potential contenders. Well, let me rephrase that. The Colts are contenders. Peyton Manning is the best QB in the NFL, and makes that team go. The Texans - and yes I know they lost to Jacksonville - seem like they're just waiting to make a move. Maybe I wrong, but I still like them to go 9-7.
Out west, I was wrong again. The Broncos are the real deal. And by real deal, I mean that they will win their division. There are 4 wins out there, and I don't think San Diego will make it to 11-5. With that said, we're really gonna find out what this team is made of. They beat SD based, in part, on special teams. True, they've beaten New England already, too. Big win. They're real good. But they're limited offensively. They haven't beaten a single team with a legit defense yet. Sorry, Pats fans, but even the Bills scored 21+ on you. They have Baltimore on the road, Pittsburgh at home, the Giants at home, Indy on the Road, and Philly on the road, not to mention another battle with the Chargers later this year. Their defense is legit, and their offense is getting things done, but Orton isn't winning games - he's not losing them. And there is a difference. So, we will wait and see whether the Broncos are a legit Super Bowl contender, or are just the best team in a shitty division.
- Some other things to talk about: The Hines Ward catch that everyone has been complaining about. Sure, they got the call right. And I understand the idea behind the rule - that because technically, having possession of the football for a millisecond, in play, beyond the goal line = touchdown, they want you to maintain some kind of possession on catches where the player goes to the ground. I get it, it makes sense, you want it to be similar catch rules to what it would be if they were in the field of play. With that said, if it had been in the field of play, is Hines non-catch really a non-catch, or a catch and fumble? He rolled 1.5 times before losing the ball. How long do you really have to hold it?
- The Pens look fucking good. No more underdog role for this team. They're the team to beat in the NHL. Gonch being out 4-6 is a bummer, but that's really only 10-15 games, and we're far more able to handle his absence now than we were last year
- I will also admit, I thought that Alex Rodriguez was a choke artist. He's proven me wrong. I will eat my words. The man is making plays, and he's fucking outstanding. Fuck the steroids thing, he's a first-ballot HOFer. No doubt.
- The race for top QB in next year's draft is not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be. Sam Bradford might have surgery. The one thing that could possibly knock him out of that top spot. The more Tim Tebow plays, the more I'm convinced that he is definitely not an NFL starting QB. He's a great athlete, and someone will draft him, but he can't play QB in the NFL. And Colt McCoy? Maybe it's because he's been hurt, too, but I think he's just too small to pull it off. Maybe if he can find that near-80% accuracy he had going last year, but until then, I don't buy him as first-rounder.
This raises an interesting question, though. What do Junior Jimmy Clausen and super-redshirt-Sophmore Ryan Mallett do? I don't know if anyone has seen either of these guys throw the football, but they are legit. Especially Mallett. He has the best arm in college right now, and can make every throw. Only thing is that, unlike Matt Stafford, he can hit a dime from 40 yards.
Also makes you wonder about how this might affect the decision making process for guys like Miami's Jacory Harris. He's another kid who has NFL accuracy with just enough arm. But if Claussen and Mallett go this year, it opens up Harris for a chance to have a big Junior year and cash in then. He still has a way to go, but might be able to check out early if there is less competition.
It'll be interesting to see. There are lots of good, young QBs in the NFL right now: Ben, Eli, Phil Rivers, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Aaron Rodgers. In fact, the NFL is so flush, that it takes a really excellent prospect to find a starting job, even. Who's gonna need QBs in the next two years? Well, probably, TEN, OAK, CLE, BUF (sorry, Trent Edwards), STL, CAR, SF, WAS? Beyond that, guys will have to start getting old, and even at that, those teams with older QBs who might be looking to replace them won't be going to bat until at least 2 years from now.
Here's my early, early, early prediction. With Bradford hurt, Claussen and Mallet both come out. Mallett goes #1 to St. Louis. Tennesse takes Bradford with the 4th overall pick, Cleveland at 5 reaches for another ND product (overachiever?), and the Raiders take Tim Tebow at the beginning of Round 2. Really, the only thing I'm hoping for is Tebow to end up in Oakland. Few kids his age have it together as much as he does, and the thought of him going to such a fucked up place is what makes me love sports.
Oh, and one more thing... Want to hear something awesome? Try this: Terrelle Prior transfers to Michigan. (1) Rich Rodriguez would turn him into a Heisman winner and (2) Michigan would fucking crush the biggest piece of shit state school in the country, with their very own star recruit who they were too fucking stubborn to utilize. Oh man, that would be fucking awesome.
Fuck "The".
And as always, remember that anything posted on this blog - links, videos, etc. - might contain language unsuitable for the majority of people. What I'm saying is that links on this blog should be assumed NSFW. Such as the one below. Because he uses inappropriate language.
Update: Our avid reader pointed out that I didn't mention Jake Locker. And that is true. Why? Well, frankly, because no one east of Idaho gives a fuck about Jake Locker. Nothing about him is interesting. And yes, Mallett would be drafted above Locker. I've seen them both play. I believe that it is no contest.
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