Philadelphia Eagles 33, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

 

The one thing I can say about my Birds this year is they take care of business against the scrubs of the NFL.  McNabb returned and looked as good as I can remember and the defense did a great job although the excessive blitzing can be pretty nerve racking.  Yeah it works against Jake Delhomme and Josh Johnson, but any Eagles fan with a brain knows what happens when we blitz like that against a top shelf quarterback.  (See PHI v. NO in Week 2) 

 

The most exciting thing about this game was Jeremy Maclin’s coming out party.  Prior to this week he had yet to show a millisecond of his blazing fast combine 40 time or any of the playmaking skills that made him such a touchdown machine at Missouri.  After his 142 yards and 2 TDs, I’m starting to think we may have the best young talent in the league on offense.  With Maclin, Jackson, McCoy, and Kolb I could probably resist shaving my head if at some point we decide to move forward without McNabb. 

 

The Eagles version of the Wildcat?  Not so much.  It would help if they would actually THROW when they put Mike Vick in the game from time to time because it is obvious that teams are stacking up for the run when he comes in the game.  We are not the Dolphins so we aren’t just going to lineup and shove it down your throat.  Even though it has been shown that our version is probably the second most effective in the league, it is not going to be a viable option until we can show teams we can at least run a freaking screen pass out of it. 

 

Miami Dolphins 31, New York Jets 27

 

I think it may be time to kill the “Wildcat is a fad” talk.  With the proper personnel it is obvious that this formation is lethal even if you know its coming.  With the introduction of the Jumbo Wildcat this week, its usefulness becomes even more apparent.  In the “traditional” Wildcat, the QB lines up out wide, but the version the Dolphins ran last night with the FB out wide should be illegal.  This left the Fins with a FB on a CB matchup on the edge that is big mismatch.  You can question the Jets for the personnel they had on the field, but the fact that you never know what is coming from this set is giving even the best defenses fits.

 

Two reasons I love the Wildcat? 1) It has turned Ronnie Brown into a top flight fantasy option.  His performance was responsible for a miraculous comeback victory in one league for me and a saddening comeback loss for me in the other one.  He’s a double edged sword.  2) It makes it fun to watch ball control teams run the ball into the ground.  I would have zero interest in watching the Dolphins pound teams out from a traditional set, but they are must see TV for me right now.

 

Cincinnati Bengals 17, Baltimore Ravens 14

 

What about those bungling Bengals!  Screw a Hard Knocks curse, these guys look mean on offense and defense.  I mentioned in my season preview that they looked good in the preseason, but I would be lying if I expected them to be sitting at 4-1 at this juncture. 

 

I did however suspect that the Ravens would be ripe for the picking.  They started hot, but giving up the first 100+ rusher in over 30 games is a sign of an aging defense.  Ray Lewis trying to kill people over the middle is nothing new, but when he gets flagged and keeps the Bengals game winning drive alive it kills the team.  I did find it hilarious however that Ochocinco said, “he could have pushed me down.”  This is still tackle football buddy, you’re asking for a little too much. 

 

Denver Broncos 20, New England Patriots 17

 

Kyle Orton just wins football games.  Say what you want about him, but you can’t say he’s not a winner.  Back in Chicago he was more of a game manager than anything else, but late last year he showed that he is capable of passing for 300+ and winning a game for you from time to time.  Do you want him to throw the ball 40+ times every game?  Not if you want to win.  But he is efficient and smart, a deadly combination. 

 

My thoughts on the Wild Horse?  Another deviation on the Wildcat epidemic that is sweeping the league.  Not surprising that I’m a fan of this also.  What better way to test the defenses ability to adjust on the fly than to come out in the Wildcat and run your QB under center at the last minute?  Hell they won’t let you audible out of the Wildcat on Madden 10 to prevent this kind of cheese from happening!

 

I know there are plenty of coaches out there that are resisting the urge to incorporate this into their offense even though they may have the personnel to take it to the next level (I’m talking to you Jeff Fisher) but at the very least it can help keep a defense off balance.  If you’ve got a mobile QB or former college QB playing wide receiver whom you trust to make smart decisions (I am NOT talking to you Matt Jones) you need to have this in your playbook.  It helps when you could really care less if that person gets injured.  (e.g., Pat White, Vince Young, Josh Johnson, Mike Vick)

 

What about those Broncos uniforms?  I got several messages from people who couldn’t decide if they were hot or atrocious and I’m sticking with the former.  If you have to ask the question, I lean towards “hot.”  Anything that makes use of optical illusions works for me.  (Except those atrocious Eagles throwback uni’s)

 

Atlanta Falcons 45, San Francisco 49ers 10

 

This game was probably the biggest surprise of the weekend.  We knew the Falcons were explosive, but we’ve also seen how stingy the 49ers defense has been this year.  They couldn’t stop anything today but especially Roddy White who did his best Usain Bolt impression to the tune of 200+ yards receiving. 

 

It was also the game that produced the stupidest play I’ve seen in a long time.  Dre Bly had a nice interception and decided during the run back that he was Deion Sanders and could not be caught from behind.  He then changed his mind and decided it was probably not the smartest thing to do, but it was too late . . . Roddy White who had been toasting him the entire day caught him from behind and forced a fumble.  Bly probably needed a restraining order against Mike Singletary after this one.

 

I have been racking my brain all weekend trying to figure out what the hell Bly was thinking.  He has always had the attitude that he believes he is a “shut-down” corner but has done little back it up during his career.  High stepping is all about bravado, but how does high stepping in traffic do anything but get you cut and unemployed?  I have a feeling we’ll hear about Bly again and it won’t be pretty.

 

Indianapolis Colts 31, Tennessee Titans 9

 

As impressive as the Colts have been on offense, their defense is really getting the job done.  Gone are the days of the Colts being one of the worst run defenses in the league.  (They rank 7th overall in team total defense)  You know what to expect on offense from these guys, but their defense being this good without Defensive MVP Bob Sanders is scary.

 

Interesting stat for stat nerds like myself; Peyton and Eli are 1 and 2 in QB rating.  Don’t underestimate the power of pedigree.    

 

Vince Young.  What did this guy do to Jeff Fisher?  Your team is in the tube and you won’t start the highest paid player on your team who is younger than your bum journeyman QB?  He can’t even get a Wildcat snap?  Even if he’s worse than Collins at this point, you play him anyway, to see what he’s got.  If you’ve decided he’s not your guy, trade him . . . I’m sure there are at least a couple of creative offensive coordinators who would at least let him run a couple of gimmick plays a game.  There has to be some locker room gossip we are missing here.  Is he screwing all the player’s wives?  Did he have a Terrell Owens locker room blow up?  Do they think he’s weak from the mental health/suicidal concerns?    I’m not getting it.

 

Seattle Seahawks 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 0

 

The Seahawks are 2-0 with Matt Hasselback, it just sucks he’s been injured for the other 3 games.  If he’s healthy, this team has proven they can play solid football and be a playoff contender.  But you know the saying, if “if” was a 5th we’d all be &$*#*@ up.

 

I predicted the Jags would not be that good this year and they are doing all they can to make me look like Nostradamus.  I will need something to make up for my AFC West predictions which are going to hell in a hand basket. 

 

Arizona Cardinals 28, Houston Texans 21

 

Great game here in case you missed it.  The Cardinals went up 21 nothing and then let the Texans tie it up at 21 all.  As the Texans looked to be driving to seal the game, Rodgers-Cromartie had a huge pick six to put the Cards up 28-21.  Subsequently the Texans drove all the way down the field and couldn’t punch it in from the 1 yard line on 4 attempts. 

 

Why finesse passing teams decide to run on 3 out of 4 downs from the 1 yard line is beyond me.  Be cute and try it once maybe twice, but after that you need to spread it out and do what you do best.  My Eagles ran into this same issue last year and it lost them games. 

 

What keeps the Texans from getting over the hump every year is execution and play calling in crunch time.  Trading Sage Rosenfels, the other “TO” (and I don’t mean Terrell Owens) helps, but you’ve got to look at your play calling in the clutch if this continue to happen.  Given, Schaub did manage to overthrow a wide open TE for a game tying TD on 3rd down.  I’m starting to think it may be time to scrap this team.  They’ve been losing together for way too long to get over the hump at this point.

 

Cleveland Browns 6, Buffalo Bills 3

 

Does anything need to be said about this imitation of an NFL football game?  Oh yeah, Derek Anderson was 2 for 17, rivaling Jamarcus Russell for the “Do you know where your playbook is” performance of the week.  What makes it worse is they still won.  How bad does this make Brady Quinn out to be?  Anderson won the starting job by coming in and throwing three interceptions a couple of weeks ago and now he wins a game going 2/17.  Maybe that will earn him a contract extension. 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Detroit Lions 20

 

The Steelers really looked pedestrian in winning this game.  They had problems containing the Lions the entire game and even let Daunte Culpepper get loose for 44 yards rushing.  Super Bowl lag is in full effect. 

 

Dallas Cowboys 26, Kansas City Chiefs 20

 

I’m really confused about how to interpret the performance by Miles Austin.  Jerry Jones mentioned when Terrell Owens was cut that a big reason for the decision was the development of Miles Austin.  250 yards receiving makes him look like a genius. 

 

Austin made some big catches and took big advantage of a horrible Chiefs secondary which probably couldn’t tackle my 2 year old nephew.  I will do the smart thing here though and reserve judgment on Austin for another couple of weeks.  (I did put in a waiver request for him in my FFL, but only because I’ve got Roy Williams and he’s out thanks to Tony Romo)

 

Minnesota Vikings 38, St. Louis Rams 10

 

In case you haven’t paid any attention to anything I’ve ever said in any of my prior Crackbacks the one piece of advice you should absolute listen to as if it was the Gospel of NFL football is pick against the Rams when in doubt in your elimination league.  It’s like easy money.  In fact I’m wondering how anyone could have been eliminated at this point in their elimination league with horrible teams like the Chiefs, Raiders and Rams out there waiting to be picked against?

 

New York Giants 44, Oakland Raiders 7

 

Ahmad Bradshaw was on my bench.  Just my luck this year.  Who do you pick in a Raiders/Chief matchup right now?  I would bet my house on the Chiefs.  Any team with a starting quarterback who is an overweight, highly paid, #1 overall pick who has gotten over on raw talent and athleticism all his life, playing for the worse front office in sports should not be wagered on.  I don’t care how good Asomugha is.  Stay away from him and “you can have whatever you like.” © TI

 

Carolina Panthers 20, Washington Redskins 17

 

The Panthers finally got off the snide against the one team that I would consider picking the Raiders against.  The Skins aren’t getting blown out (only a 6 point loss to the Giants) but they would probably let E. E. Smith Senior High School keep the game close long enough to have a chance to win it. 

 

Against the Rams and Bucs, this ineptitude was good enough for a win, but against the Panthers and Lions it got both of them off the snide.  With the Chiefs coming into town this week, the Skins could be looking at one of the last games this season in which they will be favored.  (Eagles and Cowboys twice, Falcons, Broncos, Saints, Giants, Chargers, and Raiders round out what’s looking more and more like a 4-12 season)