The positives:

Joe Flacco and the offense: Despite today’s horrid performance, you can’t complain about the Ravens offensive performance this year. If anything, all you can do is rave about it. Flacco now has 2,044 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, which is certainly what the Ravens can expect year in and year out from him. He’s on pace for 4,088 yards, 24 TD, and 14 INT. If he can do that every year, can you really complain? I wouldn’t. Ray Rice has been tremendous. Against the Bengals, he had 48 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and now has 573 rushing yards, compared to not even 500 all of last year.

Much was made of the receiving core. The Ravens didn’t bring in any big names in the offseason, signing only Kelley Washington to a one-year deal. As a No. 3, Washington has exceeded expectations. Derrick Mason has been solid, and all in all, the receivers have been good. Even Mark Clayton, who had a key drop against New England, has been better since. Tight end Todd Heap has had a rebound season, and the offensive line has been good as well. So the offense has exceeded expectations. That’s a good thing.

The trio of rookies: Last year, the two rookies who stepped up big time were Joe Flacco (Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year) and Ray Rice, who was big when he got the opportunity. Now, the three rookies who have stepped up are Michael Oher, Dannell Ellerbe, and Lardarius Webb. Oher has been somewhat inconsistent, but has been solid for the most part. The subject of the “Blind Side” book - and movie - he had a stellar debut, and while he hasn’t looked like a Hall of Fame offensive tackle at all times, he looks like a future Pro Bowler, without a doubt.

I’m very impressed with Ellerbe. An undrafted free agent signing out of Georgia, he has the looks of the Ravens next Bart Scott, as in he’s an undrafted free agent who plays inside linebacker. With Brendon Ayanbadejo out for the year and Tavares Gooden struggling, I really think it’s time to start Ellerbe.The 23-year-old has 14 tackles, and if he can start, he won’t dominate - yet. But I’m extremely impressed. One question: why is Chris Carr still a Raven? I’ve seen some improvement from him lately, btu I do think Lardarius Webb needs to get more time. He’s got nine tackles on the year, and has looked like the 2009 version of Jim Leonhard returning punts and kicks.

Heart of a champion: What’s the one thing I like most about the Ravens? Is it the offensive improvement? The fact that they draft so well? No. It’s that they have tremendous heart, will, and determination. That’s why I never feel they’re out of a game. Even down 17-0 in the fourth, I still felt the Ravens could come back, and had a chance to make it 17-10, but a missed field goal sealed the Ravens’ fate. But I’m sure the Ravens will move on from this. Heck, I’m sure tomorrow, they’ll have moved on and will be ready to face the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

I saw it last year, and I see it this year. I’m sure they’ll rebound, and I know this for a fact. I’ve seen it many times before. The Ravens have suffered even more heartbreaking defeats, but have continued to get up and rebound from them, and having a match with Cleveland coming up doesn’t hurt them, either. That’s why, after tough-to-swallow losses like these, Ravens fans shouldn’t be down, because this team has a great coaching staff, and adequately prepare them pretty much every week to win games, and as you see, they have won the majority of the time with this new staff.

Negatives:

Greg Mattison: Let me make this clear: I could not be a defensive coordinator in the NFL. But I struggle to grasp the thought process of new Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Just look at how dominant the Ravens defense has been. In 2000, they posted arguably the best single-season defense in NFL history. And from 2001 to 2008, they weren’t as good, but consistently near the top in the league, led by defensive coordinators like Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan. Rex was in Baltimore from 2005 to 2008 and is now famous for his sense of humor, but mostly, his exotic defenses. In Baltimore, he ran all types of blitzing schemes that confused the opposition.

This is what I’ll never understand about Greg Mattison. Since the Ravens lost both starting inside linebacker Bart Scott and strong safety Jim Leonhard, the 2009 Ravens unit figured to look different, but think about this: do the Ravens have Ray Lewis? Check. Haloti Ngata? Check. Terrell Suggs? Check. Ed Reed? Check. See, the core of the Ravens defense is still there, so what’s the point in changing everything? Mattison has made the Ravens a weak team defensively. They’re bringing absolutely no pressure, which exposes the corners.

Ray Rice: Don’t yell at me. I love how Ray Rice is playing. Here’s my complaint: he’s underused. With the way I was hyping up RR in the offseason, and with the way he’s responded, you’d think he’d get more carries. While I understand the Ravens are becoming a very pass-happy team, I can’t say I understand just how much they basically ignore him. He’s a threat, a Maurice Jones-Drew of sorts. On the year, he has exactly 999 total yards (573 rushing, 436 receiving), which is borderline insane. But think about this: the most carries he’s gotten in a game is 23.

He’s definitely getting utilized, and he’s part of the reason the offense is so revived. And I definitely do understand that the Ravens don’t want to overwork him. They don’t want to give him 350 carries a year and see him hit a wall in seven to eight years. That’s all fine and good, but his average game consists of 13 carries..and 72 yards. I’m sure as the weather turns, we’ll see Rice a lot more, but 13 carries per matchup is insulting, especially considering how well the guy is playing.

Steven Hauschka: I’ve never been a subscriber of the “you win and lose with your kicker” idea, if there is such a thing. But boy, has Steven Hauschka killed the Ravens at times this year. All in all, it’s safe to say he has a good head on his shoulders. He’s showed some work ethic and it definitely is no easy task to fill Matt Stover’s shoes, a guy who was loved in Baltimore. But I have to question the kid’s poise. Against Minnesota, the Ravens were down 33-31 with two seconds left. Joe Flacco drove Baltimore down to the Minnesota 27, and a 44-yard field goal would give the Ravens a miraculous, come-from-behind, 34-33 victory.

But he missed it. Against Cincinnati, down 17-7 with a few minutes left, he came on for a 37-yard field goal. If good, Baltimore would be down just seven with a titanic momentum advantage. But he hooked it. And it’s not as if he can’t make these. In fact, he made a 54-yarder against the Houston Texans, his first career field goal attempt. But in crunch time, he’s not a guy I can count on. He’s 8-for-11 on the year, which is hardly terrible for a young kicker, who is basically a rookie. I’m not calling for his head yet, but if Matt Stover hits free agency when Adam Viniateri returns to Indianapolis, Baltimore signing the vet wouldn’t surprise me.

Ravens last eight games:

11/16 @ Cleveland Browns: It’s hard to be confident after games like these, but the Browns? This game should be first degree murder - in favor of the Ravens.

11/22 vs. Indianapolis Colts: This game has the potential to be very tough for Baltimore, but also favors them in a way. Indy has struggled in wins over Houston (20-17) and San Francisco (18-14), so facing Baltimore at M & T Bank Stadium could be too much.

11/29 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: With this revived offense, I’m interested to see how they fare against the Steelers, their No. 1 rival. It depends which Ravens show up, really.

12/7 @ Green Bay Packers: Because of the atmosphere (Monday Night, December weather, Lambeau Field), the Ravens don’t have an advantage. But personnel-wise, the Ravens have a huge edge.

12/13 vs. Detroit Lions: Um..yeah.

12/20 vs. Chicago Bears: The Bears have looked good at times, but regressed over time. Ravens should win this, against an inconsistent team - especially if it’s in Baltimore.

12/27 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: This game depends really on where the AFC North is at this point. It could determine who takes a Wild Card, whether the Steelers win the division, etc.

1/3 vs. Oakland Raiders: Let’s compare. Joe Flacco’s career: 15-9 record, over 5,000 yards, 26 TD, 19 INT. JaMarcus Russell’s: 7-17 record, 3,796 yards, 17 TD, 21 INT.

Personally, I think the Ravens are in good shape, even after this loss. Six of eight wins (which I think will happen) gives them a 10-6 record, and a very good shot at the playoffs, possibly as the Wild Card, which they were last year. No team is really threatening for the spot. The Jets (4-4) are struggling, the Dolphins (4-5), just aren’t the same team. The Chargers have an outside shot, but continue to exhibit unbelievable inconsistency. The Texans have a shot, but don’t have the defense. Honestly, I think the playoff picture will look like this: (1) Colts, (2) Broncos, (3) Patriots, (4) Steelers, (5) Bengals, (6) Ravens.

Lets get right into the studs for the Saints in week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.

First and foremost I am giving a star to quarterback Drew Brees, despite him fumbling the ball (and losing that fumble)….and what’s more is he also intercepted the ball too. You may be scratching your head as to why I would give Brees a star for fumbling the ball as well as throwing an interception. Well because Brees may have made a few mistakes but he also did a lot of good. Brees got back on track with his completion percetnage completing 25 of thirty-three passes, which is right around 75% completion percentage. That is important because his completion percentage had been dipping into the low sixties over the past couple of weeks, good to see he got in great rythm with his recievers. Brees completed two of those twenty-five passes for touchdowns and surmised a total of 308 yards for the game. He was also able to walk away from the game with a 111.7 quarterback rating. An underrated fact I think is very important to the Saints doing well from Brees’ performance is due to him passing to eight different recievers and completing at least two passes to each wide out.

Next is running back Pierre Thomas who got more than eight touches (thank goodness - because he also happens to be on my fantasy team). Thomas had a solid performance - MINUS fumbling the ball, I was not happy when I saw that…and it was lost. It is bad if a player fumbles the ball, but if they do it is injury to insult to lose the ball and not recover it. Thomas rushed 14 times for a total of 91 yards on the ground, getting into the endzone once through the running game and scoring again from a catch. Thomas had a total of two catches for nine yards.

Marques Colston has been on fire the past month it seems. Colston was the recipent of 6 passes from Brees to which Colston caught all six passes for a total of 85 yards, one of those catches being for a touchdown. Colston creates so many mismatches because of his great combination of athletism, hands, size, and speed.

Along with Colston, Shockey has been a beast for the Saints ever since the week 6 match up against his former team, the New York Giants. Shockey reeled in 5 balls for seventy-two yards, only not catching one ball Brees threw his way. Shockey is really developing into a great safety net for Brees, who is one of their key options on third downs. Shockey is a good third down converter, doesn’t fumble the ball, and is getting good yards after the carry. His energy and passion are undeniable and I believe the other players really feed off of his energy.

Now on the defense side of the ball, we have Safety Roman Harper who led the team with eight tackles, 7 were solo. Harper gave good effort making plays, on his own…making sure that he didn’t get beat by a reciever or juked by a running back.

Fellow secondary player, Tracy Porter…is turning into a real ball-hawk, getting another interception and returning it 18 yards. Porter also had a pass deflection as well as six tackles, all of which were solo. Porter is taking risks going after the ball and right now it is working to perfection. Porter must be spending plenty of time watching film and looking at tendencies of his opponents to make sure he has the advantage when the game starts.

Next, again in the secondary is Jabari Greer who had six tackles, five being solo. Greer had three pass deflections, an interception which he returned 48 yards to score a touchdown. Greer has really elevated his play and performance on the field. Based on his stats you can tell (even if you couldn’t watch the game) that Greer was all over the field, 3 pass deflections and an interception to go along with 6 tackles. You cannot ask for a better performance from your safety…..oh wait, he returned the inteception for a touchdown. Guess it got better ;-)

Next is the other Safety Darren Sharper who also had an interception, though surprisingly for Sharper he did not return it for a touchdown like he “normally” does. I suppose it makes since because the interception came on a hail mary by the Falcons, as a last ditch effort to pull off a miracle upset against the Saints. Sharper has contributed with 4 tackles, three being solo, and swatting at two balls - earning him two pass deflections. Another great performance for the veteran leader who still half way through the years is not getting the recognition he deserves and talk about a candidate for defensive player of the year.

Lastly, is defensive end Will Smith, who had 4 tackles (two being solo). those two solo tackles double as tackles on the quarterbakc behind the line of scrimmage, aka two sacks. Smith provided good pressure up front for the Saints, which directly resulted in Matt Ryan (Atlanta’s quarterback) being hurried and throwing 3 picks.

Recapping this week 8’s star studded Saints: Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Roman Harper, Jabari Greer, Darren Sharper, Will Smith

Adding this list to the season total and now here is the most updated Star Studded Saints List:

(5) QB Drew Brees

(5) SS Roman Harper

(5) SS Darren Sharper

(4) WR Marques Colston

(4) RB Pierre Thomas

(3) Defense

(3) O-Line

(3) RB Mike Bell

(3) CB Jabari Greer

(3) TE Jeremy Shockey

(2) OL Jermon Bushrod

(2) FS Tracy Porter

(2) KR Courtney Roby

(2) DE Will Smith

(2) MLB Jonathon Vilma

(1) RB Reggie Bush

(1) LB Scott Fujita

(1) DE Charles Grant

(1) WR Devery Henderson

(1) P Thomas Morstead

(1) WR  Lance Moore

(1) LB Scott Shanle

Way to go Saints!

Big game this week against the Panthers - could be a trap game with the Panthers either play very well or piss poor. We shall see which team shows up to face the Saints.The Saints secondary should feed off of Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhome who is tied atop the leader board with the most interceptions in the league. Hoepfully the ball-hawking Saints secondary will continue to pick to their hearts’ content when they face Delhome and the rest of the Panthers.

If the Saints maintain their focus at the work at hand against the Panthers and do not look ahead to playing the Patriots I see another Saints win coming!

Prediction: Saints WIN 35-24.

With just over 100 yards, it was the third worst offensive performance in team history (though Henne did still toss a TD to Joey Haynos).   The defense wasn’t exactly on fire either, allowing Sanchez to post a stellar 100.3 QB rating, and giving up over 100 yards rushing.  What saved the day?  None other than Ted Ginn, Jr., who prior to the game was in the dog house of coaches, former players, and fans alike.  He took not one, but two touchdowns to the house on kickoff returns.  Those coupled with a Jason Taylor fumble recovery for a TD were enough to put the Phins over the top.

Of course, the Jets showed absolutely zero class in a loss, yet again.  Of course they were the “better team”, and had “no idea how they lost.”  That is just utterly pathetic.  We swept you- deal with it.  I guess in New Jersey, special teams isn’t part of the game right?  Anyways, regardless of how the season plays out from here, I am glad we swept those loudmouthed louts- and kept our hope in the division alive.  Thats right, even at 3-4, there is still a sliver of light as all three of our wins are in the AFC East, meaning if we can win a few games we are in a good position to break some ties.

Of course up next, we have another divisional opponent- perhaps the polar opposite of the Jets.  They say as little as possible, and actually show up on the field.  To have any chance of beating them, there are 3 main items the Phins need to address:

1. Do something with the secondary: I know its going to be tough with 2 rookie corners in the starting positions, but you have to play the hand you’re dealt.  The Brady-Moss-Welker trio is one of the deadliest passing combos in the league.  We drafted Sean Smith specifically to match up with tall, fast receivers like Moss- so he really needs to have a good game here.  Moss has struggled with a back injury this season, so hopefully he will be a step slower to give the rookie a fighting chance.  Welker is the toughest match up.  Coming out of the slot, he tends to get lined up on safeties and LBs, and he eats them alive.  Its going to be a tough task to ask this depleted secondary to line up in nickel and dime situations all game long, and they are probably going to have to play above their heads for the Phins to have a chance.
2. Its all about pressure: Of course, one thing that can make this game a bit easier is if the front 7 manages to generate any decent kind of pressure.  The Phins actually rank 6th in the league in sacks, but watching the games it is sometimes hard to believe.  Maybe that is because the defense seems to fade in the second half- they held the Jets to a FG in the first half before ultimately surrendering 25 points, and held the Saints to 10 in the first half before coughing up an additional 22 points (plus 14 on INTs that weren’t their fault).  They need to stay consistent the entire game, and not let the Patriots back in the game if we manage to generate any kind of lead.  The Pats look to be starting a rookie LT, so they really need to abuse and confuse the kid, and get to Brady’s blind side.
3. Get back the offensive mojo: Ever since the second half of the Saints game, it seems like the offense has gone into hiding.  They have only scored 2 TDs, and 1 FG in the last 6 quarters, and that isn’t going to cut it.  Henne has played with a lot of poise for a young QB, but he needs to learn to get rid of the ball.  He has taken 8 sacks in the last 2 games, including a whopping 6 against the Jets.  The good part is that it isn’t a crappy O-line causing them, it is Henne looking to make plays.  It is admirable that he is willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit to get the ball off, but if nothing is there he really needs to dump it off to help with our field position, and avoid injury.  At least he is able to keep his head though, and the sacks and pressure aren’t causing him to toss the ball to the other team.  The run blocking against the Jets was down right depressing though.  On the Monday night game we torched them for 151 yards, but was held to exactly 99 yards less last Sunday.  Surely Belichick will study what Ryan did to slow down the run game, and try to duplicate it.  We have to figure out what the issue was, and how to get around it (personally,  I think the solution is having our WRs finally beat man coverage and make a few catches now and again).

That’s all for tonight everyone.  Enjoy the game tomorrow and lets go Dolphins.

Of course, Ward gets the nod in the poll because defensive players don’t like to be on the receiving end of crushing blocks, and the 5’11” Ward doesn’t hesitate to dish out punishment to cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers alike. I recall one game in Jacksonville where Ward blocked a defensive lineman, so irritating the lineman in question that he committed a personal foul against Ward, which enabled a Pittsburgh drive to continue - a turning point in that game.

But Ward isn’t a dirty player. The devastating block on Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers last year wasn’t dirty, just a very physical play. In fact, I recall only one occasion when Ward delivered a hit that could be construed as “dirty”; he hit a Browns defensive back after the whistle in a game against Cleveland a few years back. That was over the line.

Meanwhile, Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu also earned a spot on Sports Illustrated’s dirtiest player list, which is really shocking. Perhaps other players take offense at Polamalu’s tackling style; in run support he sometimes makes like a missle and attempts to cut down the ball-carrier below the knees.

Polamalu demonstrated a sense of humor when advised of the dubious distinction, quipping: “I always do my hair before the game.”

Jason is co-founder and editor of Failure magazine.

Now, Porter and Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano have a good point about the AFC East: the division still goes through them.  Now, they are the defending champions.  This is about as relevant a point to 2009 as the Tennessee Titans being the defending champions of the AFC South.  What IS relevant is that the Dolphins, coming off of a 30-25 win against the New York Jets, control their own destiny with Sunday’s game at New England and a rematch four weeks later in Miami.  Both teams have three games in between, but New England also has, arguably, the harder schedule.  In between Dolphins/Patriots games, the Dolphins face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at Carolina Panthers on a short week, and at Buffalo.  The Patriots go to Indianapolis, host the Jets, and go to New Orleans.  With that said, the AFC East title is still very much on the line.

DOLPHINS PASS OFFENSE vs. PATRIOTS PASS DEFENSE

Joey Porter hates the Patriots very much and is open to talking about it.  QB Chad Henne doesn’t know the Patriots.  He’s about to get introduced.  While Henne has a stronger arm than the injured Chad Pennington, he is not as accurate and other than his first game against the New York Jets, he has struggled to consistently move the ball through the air.  WR Ted Ginn was supposed to thrive under Henne’s deep passes, but his inability to catch the ball knocked him out of the main receiver rotation.  As a result, rookie WR Brian Hartline is the speed threat alongside possession receivers Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo.  As of right now, RB Ricky Williams (15 catches, 185 yards) is the receiver of choice out of the backfield over RB Ronnie Brown (10 catches, 66 yards).  TE Anthony Fasano has struggled this season.  The Patriots have been a real problem for quarterbacks the last two games.  This may be the weakest passing attack the Patriots defense has seen thus far this season.  ADVANTAGE: Patriots.

DOLPHINS RUN OFFENSE vs. PATRIOTS RUN DEFENSE

The Miami Wildcat!  The originators of the attack, Miami runs enough variation from the Wildcat to keep defenses on their toes, and it all started against the New England Patriots.  RB Ronnie Brown leads the Wildcat offense, and has 7 TD runs and a 4.3 average.  Very impressive this season has been Williams, who is averaging over 5 yards a carry.  The Patriots have been giving up a lot of rushing yards, especially to teams dedicated to the run.  ADVANTAGE: Dolphins.

DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINE vs. PATRIOTS PASS RUSH

The Dolphins offensive line has struggled to protect Henne since he took over at QB.  Henne’s pocket presence is evidently a work in progress still after taking 14 sacks in 5 appearances this season.  The problem is, who is going to put pressure of Henne?  ADVANTAGE: Dolphins.

DOLPHINS PASS RUSH vs. PATRIOTS OFFENSIVE LINE

OLB Porter (2.5 sacks)  might be doing most of the controlspeak, but there are more significant matchups.  OLB Jason Taylor leads the team in sacks with 5.5 and defensive linemen Randy Starks has 3.5 already.  Porter will be rushing the blindside for the most part against Patriots rookie LT Sebastian Vollmer.  Starks will be a key player.  He played well against Jets LG Alan Faneca last week, and now he draws Patriots LG Logan Mankins.  ADVANTAGE: Dolphins.

DOLPHINS RUN DEFENSE vs. PATRIOTS RUN OFFENSE

The Dolphins have been solid at stopping the run this season, only allowing 3.6 yards per carry.  The Patriots are down to three healthy running backs, and are inconsistent at trying to give RB Laurence Maroney enough of a chance to make a significant impact in games.  ADVANTAGE: Dolphins.

DOLPHINS PASS DEFENSE vs. PATRIOTS PASS OFFENSE

This is where the Dolphins need to watch themselves.  In the two teams’ second meeting last season in Miami, Matt Cassel, the first-year starter completed 30 of 43 passes for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns to WR Randy Moss while adding one on the ground.  That would be the Dolphins’ last regular season loss.  This season, the Dolphins are without CBs Will Allen (ACL) and Andre Goodman (Broncos).  The Patriots have added a decent QB (Brady).  Last season, the Dolphins made the mistake of single covering Moss; they probably will give rookie CBs Sean Smith and Vontae Davis some help over the top.  The Dolphins have also been vulnerable to the TE in some games this season (Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, Jeremy Shockey, Dustin Keller last week).  Brady doesn’t look for Ben Watson very much unless he is absolutely killing the coverage.  If the pass rush doesn’t get to Brady, it might get ugly.  And look for the Patriots to sneak their version of Ted Ginn (WR Brandon Tate) onto the field.  ADVANTAGE: Patriots.

DOLPHINS SPECIAL TEAMS vs. PATRIOTS SPECIAL TEAMS

Ginn was incredible last week, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the third quarter.  The Patriots are more likely to cause him to fumble his next kickoff return.  A big part of the Dolphins’ win last week was the help from the defense and special teams scoring three touchdowns.  That won’t happen again against New England.  ADVANTAGE: Patriots.

DOLPHINS COACHING vs. PATRIOTS COACHING

This is an intriguing matchup because of the fact that Tony Sparano’s coaching staff more or less made their mark by completely catching the Patriots off guard in Week 3 of 2008 with the Wildcat offense.  The Patriots didn’t have an answer for that game, and gave up 28 more points in defeating the Dolphins in the second meeting.  For Belichick, this game represents an opportunity to redeem himself for being outcoached by Sparano last season.  But how long does Sparano and offensive coordinator Dan Henning stick to the Wildcat for this game?  After last week’s struggles offensively versus the Jets (season low 10 first downs, season low 104 yards of offense, season low 52 yards passing, season low 52 yards rushing), how much confidence does the staff have in running the special offense?  ADVANTAGE: Patriots.

INTANGIBLES

Joey Porter might say he hates the Patriots.  In reality though, he loves New England!  Porter’s love affair with New England goes all the way back to his Pittsburgh days, where he learned to admire them during critical losses deep in the postseason which may or may not have anything to do with Spygate.  Like I wrote earlier this season (http://www.nfltouchdown.com/would-you-like-to-post-on-the-patriots-bulletin-board/), trash talk and bulletin board material isn’t much in terms of how the game is played, just how the game is spun by the fans.  This game is already important, so Porter’s words reflect only on Porter!  Porter looked good compared to Jets safety Kerry Rhodes last week, but looked pretty bad when the Saints ran the second half score up on them two weeks ago.  Last week, the Dolphins were outplayed.  But they weren’t outcoached.  They have Sparano to thank for that, but the task is not an easy one.  Belichick had a whole two weeks to come up with a way to put some significant distance in between the Patriots and the rest of the AFC East.  The animosity level is the highest it’s been for a Patriots game this season since Week 2 at the Meadowlands.  ADVANTAGE: Patriots.

BOTTOM LINE

The Patriots might be rusty, having had a bye, Tampa Bay in London, and home against the Titans the last three weeks.  But it is much more likely that the Patriots are going to be sharp and ready to defend their home turf against a confident team that has a lot of pride within their division but is under performing outside of the division.  The Dolphins are holding on to what they believe is still their AFC East championship.  It might get a little harder to hold on if Chad Henne doesn’t help his offense and if Tom Brady cooks another vulnerable secondary.  PREDICTION: Patriots.

Other Week 9 games I’m predicting (10-3 last week, +30 for 2009):

Redskins over Falcons.

Cardinals over Bears.

Ravens over Bengals.

Colts over Texans.

Jaguars over Chiefs.

Buccaneers over Packers.

Saints over Panthers.

Seahawks over Lions.

Giants over Chargers.

Titans over 49ers.

Eagles over Cowboys.

Steelers over Broncos.

-1SKILLZ

]]> http://www.nfltouchdown.com/nfl-week-9-2009-dolphins-at-patriots-the-1skillz-gameplan/feed/ http://www.nfltouchdown.com/raiders-vs-b-y-e-an-epic-battle-for-the-ages/ http://www.nfltouchdown.com/raiders-vs-b-y-e-an-epic-battle-for-the-ages/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:37:24 +0000 Richard Langford http://www.nfltouchdown.com/?p=2390

It is finally here! The week all Raiders fans await like Christmas. The week which, upon its unveiling, is eagerly circled with pen breaking vigor on all calendars.

In a schedule filled with bitter rivals and compelling matchups, this week takes a back seat to none. That’s right, this is the week the Raiders face those dreaded, measly, cheap-shot-artist punks: B-Y-E.

With the Raiders’ offensive ineptness, this looks to be one of the most compelling match-ups in the history of this famed series—a series burnt into our psyche since 1990.

Since its inception, this has been as one-sided and even a battle the game has ever known. The Raiders have never beaten B-Y-E, yet they have never lost. If that is not the definition of compelling, I don’t know what is.

With that little morsel of goodness for your expectant baby bird mouths, let’s take a look at what we can expect.

Matchups:

Raiders Offense vs. B-Y-E Defense

This is a marvelous opportunity for the Raiders to get the aforementioned inept offense going. B-Y-E’s cover-0 defense leaves them vulnerable all over the field.

On plays in which the Raiders receivers manage not to tackle each other, JaMarcus Russell should have open targets to target. But can he hit them? And when he does, can they catch it?

With all of these question marks in the passing game, the Raiders would be best served to stick to the running game. The Raiders patchwork offensive line is getting healthy and is about to be not so patchwork. But will it matter? Damn, more question marks!

B-Y-E is likely to use their patented zero in the box strategy—this means the offensive line will only have to concentrate on not running into each other or tackling their own ball carriers (like this guy). Execution will be the name of the game here—unfortunately this is not a strong point of the Raiders offense.

B-Y-E Offense vs. Raiders Defense

I literally see no way in which B-Y-E will be able to move the ball against the Raiders, however, the Raiders have surprised me before. They posses an uncanny ability to completely blow even the most simple of coverages and assignments.

B-Y-E needs to run early and often against this beleaguered rush defense. When they do pass, they would be wise to throw it toward Chris Johnson or Stanford Routt, who will be doing their best to pass interfere the air.

B-Y-E’s receivers literally have no hands and will likely not be able to catch the ball. They do, however, stand a great chance at drawing a pass interference call or eight on the Raiders DBs. Some of the calls will be questionable, but the refs will bring up some arcane never-before-heard-of rule to justify them.

Prediction:

All signs point to this is being a tight game.

B-Y-E, despite not having any players on the field, is going to find a way to exploit one of the Raiders blown coverages for a big play touchdown.

B-Y-E will also receive two points from a safety. The safety will come after the Raiders struggling kick return team fails to advance the ball past the two on the opening kickoff.

Despite the horrible field position Tom Cable is going to call for a deep pass. At the snap of the ball every single Raider, having forgot the play, is going to run into each other and fall down, except for Russell. Russell, overwhelmed with confusion, will simply run out of the back of the end zone in an attempt to hide behind the field goal post and mutter to himself “It’s not my fault—it’s not my fault.”

B-Y-E: 9

The Raiders are going to enjoy decent success moving the ball, but the return of Cornell Green to the lineup will mean the return of those crucial drive-killing penalties. Although the Raiders will continually move the ball into the redzone they will have to settle for field goals.

This will setup a dramatic finish. With the score knotted at nine, the Raiders will win this on a last second drop kick field goal by all world kicker Shane Lechler.

Lechler will attempt the drop kick after injuries force him into action. The injuries will occur when the B-Y-E coach calls a time out right before the Raiders other all world kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, can get his game winning attempt off.

The only player on the field to hear the whistle will be the holder. Upon hearing the whistle he will lean over to stand up, which tragically places his head right in the otherworldly powerful arc of Janikowski’s foot. Unable to stop, Janikowski will kick his holder in the head—causing it to detach from his body and send it tumbling through the exact midpoint of the uprights.

Unfortunately, this breaks Janikowski’s foot, rendering him unable to attempt the field goal. The holder, unable to get his head reattached in time, is unavailable for the next play—forcing Lechler to attempt the historic drop kick.

Raiders 12

As always, let’s see your predictions in the comments below.

Second, I want to say that if the allegations against Tom Cable are found to be true I would be in full support of him being removed of his duties as an NFL head coach.

With that said, let’s get to what we know so far:

Cable released this statement to the Associated Press:

“During my first marriage, I became aware that my wife Sandy had committed adultery. I became very angry and slapped her with an open hand. What I did was wrong and I have regretted and felt sorrow about that moment ever since.”

Two women came forward in an ESPN report and accused Cable of abusing them.

One of these women was the ex-wife Cable admits to having struck, though her account differs from his. She alleges Cable punched her and that he hit her on two occasions. After the second incident she sought a temporary order of protection.

The other accusation made in the ESPN report is by an ex-girlfriend, Marie Lutz. Lutz claimed to ESPN that Cable struck her “three, four times.” She added that she visited his house in January and found another woman there, at which time she demanded to meet the woman. She then alleges Cable grabbed her by the arm and eventually pushed her out the door.

Concerning this incident Cable was quoted in the USA Today as saying:

“I never battered her in any way,” Cable said. “It is most unfortunate that ESPN has given Ms. Lutz this forum to revisit this incident when I did nothing wrong and further chose not to provide me with an appropriate opportunity to respond.”

Cable’s current wife, Carol, issued this statement through Cable’s attorney:

“I was present at Tom’s house when Marie Lutz came to the house in January of this year. At approximately 5 a.m., we heard someone pounding very loudly on the front door and ringing the doorbell over and over again. When Tom opened the door, Ms. Lutz told him she needed to talk to him, that she needed his help, and begged him to let her into the house. After she entered the house, the two of them had a verbal exchange. At no time did Tom commit any act of violence toward her. After not getting what she wanted from Tom, Ms. Lutz screamed at Tom ‘I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] life and I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] career if it is the last thing I ever do.’”

The police were called after this incident and cleared Cable of any wrongdoing.

Cable’s second ex-wife, Glenda, stated in her 2008 divorce papers that Cable was physically and verbally abusive toward her.

She declined to participate in the ESPN report but issued a statement through her attorney, saying:

“I have known Tom Cable for more than 20 years, including 17 years of marriage. Throughout the time I have known him, Tom has never been violent to me or our children. I chose not to speak to the media before now to protect my privacy and that of my children. However, I am very troubled by what is being claimed by others and I felt compelled to speak out about my own lengthy experience with Tom.”

Donald Yee, Cable’s attorney, released a statement Sunday saying ESPN refused to provide details about the story when the network asked for comment. In this statement, Yee also questioned the network’s motives.

“In our view, ESPN has quite purposefully chosen not to provide a fair and balanced story,” Yee said. “To us, this represents ambush journalism and utterly fails to meet the standards and practices of responsible journalists.”

The other accusation of assault against Cable came from co-worker Randy Hanson. Hanson alleged Cable struck him and broke his jaw. The Napa County DA released this statement saying they did not see a reasonable amount of evidence to press charges.

Regarding the history of violent actions by Cable, those are the facts, as we know them.

The phrase “innocent until proven guilty” keeps popping into my head, but apparently not everyone’s.

The vultures are out and they are circling around Cable. Fairly or unfairly, it is obvious that it is true.

Enter NOW (National Organization for Women). The president of that organization is apparently appalled that Cable is allowed to work despite the allegations that have been made against him.

Here is the statement released on the NOW Web site (I have added my thoughts in brackets and italics and what I think the author was thinking in parenthesis and italics):

Statement of NOW President Terry O’Neill

November 5, 2009

Tom Cable’s history [does one incident make a history?] of violence against women raises a question: why is he still the head coach of an NFL team? Mr. Cable admits having battered his first wife, and he stands accused of battering two [one of the two released a statement saying he was never violent toward her] other intimate partners as well.

As a survivor of domestic violence (at which point I gained the psychic ability to know things with absolute truth like), I know that women do not make such accusations lightly. Indeed, women (in every single case of accused domestic violence ever) have much more to lose than to gain by coming forward to tell their stories. The Oakland Raiders, properly, say they are undergoing a “serious evaluation” (we spend out time releasing statements, not conducting investigations) of these recent allegations. At the very least (at the most castrated and then put to death) Mr. Cable should be suspended during this process. But I don’t understand why he doesn’t simply step down, admit he has a problem, and get some help [because not all psychotically out of touch people who like power realize they should step down]. A man who had admitted battering his wife has no business being a role model for all of us who would like to be able to look up to the head coach (and when I say us, I mean others, because coaches that are have accusations of battery are good for my career) of an NFL football team.

O’Neill’s statements are rooted in leaps of judgment and falsehoods.

Her conclusions are based on the fact that, since she was a victim of domestic violence, she knows women do not make these accusations lightly.

Apparently once she was battered she became so in tune with the universe she knew that no women would ever make an accusation like this with out it being true. She is also apparently basing this knowledge on the fact that women in this situation have a lot more to lose than they do to gain.

While I agree that, for far too many women, this is the case, I have a hard time believing this in Lutz’s case. What exactly does Lutz stand to lose by making this accusation? It is completely reasonable to question that these statements may be made in attempts for personal retribution.

Some of her statement is based on the fact that he admitted to domestic violence; however, this was 20 years ago and was public knowledge prior to this report.

I am not trying to excuse this action, but as it stands now there is as much to pointing to the fact that Cable learned from this and paid the price as there is to say it is part of a pattern.

There are lots of other people in public positions that have been guilty of spousal battery; why O’Neill felt the need to single out Cable and wait until now to share her outrage seems to be nothing but a power ploy.

O’Neill’s statements are shamelessly done in a pathetic attempt to promote herself and her cause by using this vehicle as a means to free publicity. I am all for raising awareness to help limit the amount of spousal abuse in this world, but not when it is done in a low-rent, sleaze-ball way.

There are plenty of public figures with a substantiated history of domestic violence that NOW can speak out against, but instead they choose to stretch out their power based on allegations aired on a story-hungry sports network.

NOW has not conducted their own interview or looked into these allegations themselves (well, other than psychic understanding of these kinds of situations O’Neill possesses).

It is harmful and slanderous to jump to conclusions before all of the facts are acquired. At this point there is, at the very least, as much of a reason to take Cable for his word as there is his accusers’.

I do not know what happened any more than anyone else, but I do know there is enough to go on to let an investigation take place before punishing Cable.

Cable very well may have a problem with violence and should be subject to any investigation that the laws of the land and the rules of his profession dictate. At this point that is all he should be subjected to. Save your comments and judgments until informed conclusion arise; otherwise, it is just another form of abuse.

He has been an inspiration by coming back from that injury and the players respect him immediately. That and his genius knowledge of special teams has lead this team to having two back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns, and amazing tackles on defense.

The State of the Team

About ten years ago, the Rams were emerging as perennial front runners in the league after 10 years of just plain bad football. Some guy named Kurt Warner was throwing the ball to some rookie receiver named Torry Holt and newly acquired running back Marshall Faulk was running all over the place. The Rams were scoring at a record pace, and life was good.

The Rams obviously won the Super Bowl that year and gave some of us the best Rams memories we have to date. I remember the Super Bowl like it was yesterday, and would give anything to return to those days of downright awesome football. The passing game was good, the run game was good, the defense was good. Hell, even the special teams were good with Jeff Wilkins in his prime (if there’s such a thing for kickers) and Tony Horne returning kicks. Those were the days.

That team was coached by none other than Dick Vermeil. If you remember correctly, some fans were calling for Vermeil’s head after the ‘98 season. They believed he had run his course and the Rams hadn’t gotten any better with Tony Banks et al playing for the team. Well, management stuck with Vermeil and finally gave him something to work with in the offseason. As mentioned, they went out and traded for both Marshall Faulk and Trent Green. We all know how the Trent Green story ended, but it signaled to Vermeil and the rest of the team that this front office was willing to do something for the benefit of the team.

Not only did those acquisitions help, but the Rams were drafting well. The first few drafts may not show it (with really only Kevin Carter and Ernie Conwell to brag about the first three years or so), but when the team got the first overall pick in the 1997 draft, the “hits” started coming. In the next three years (’97, ‘98, and ‘99 drafts), the Rams drafted Orlando Pace, Dexter McCleon, Ryan Tucker, Grant Wistrom, Robert Holcombe, Leonard Little, Az Hakim, Roland Williams, Torry Holt, Dre Bly, Rich Coady, and Cameron Spikes. All within three years. If you remember, all of those players were key members of the Super Bowl team.

If you look back on it, it makes sense that the Rams were able to have such a successful tenure for the time they did. After three drafts like that, it’s easy to see why the Rams were able to turn it around so quickly. Obviously Kurt Warner coming out of nowhere and acquiring Marshall Faulk helped tremendously, but the team was honestly built on the superb drafting of the past three years, which is no surprise.

Anyway, as I’m sure you all know, Vermeil “retired” after winning the Super Bowl that year and Mike Martz was handed the team. The defense sucked in 2000 before Lovie Smith arrived and the Rams exited the playoffs in the first round. Lovie Smith turned it around during the offseason that year before putting the best team I’ve ever seen on the field in 2001. The Rams suffered a fluke year in 2002 before turning it around in 2003. That team went 12-4 and had a heartbreaking loss to the Panthers in the second round.

However, a disturbing trend was developing that a lot of us were oblivious to at the time. Rams draft picks since 1999 were either not playing or not on the team anymore. The ones that were able to make the team for a couple years simply were not performing well. After the Super Bowl, the Rams took Trung Candiate with their first pick. Also drafted that year was Jacoby Shepard and John St. Clair. The next three years, the Rams drafted Damione Lewis, Adam Archuleta, Ryan Pickett, Tommy Polley, Jerametrius Butler, Robert Thomas, Lamar Gordon, Chris Massey, Jimmy Kennedy, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Kevin Curts, Shaun McDonald, DeJuan Groce, and Kevin Garrett.

Some of these picks were good picks, don’t get me wrong. But none of these picks (except maybe Ryan Pickett) turned out to be great players. If you look at the 1997-1999 drafts, the Rams drafted great players. In the 2000-2003 drafts, the Rams drafted good-but-not great players. In tune with that, the Rams had some good-but-not-great years. In 2004, the team went 8-8 and had a second round blowout loss to the superior Falcons team. The 2004 draft reaped both Steven Jackson and Brandon Chillar, but the rest of the draft was terrible. The 2005 team was a team in transition with Martz sick most of the year and went 6-10. Martz was fired after the year was complete and the team moved forward.

Then it just got ugly. After Martz was fired, Jay Zygmunt and John Shaw rose to the top in the organization and were making all the football decisions, even though they were businessmen in LA. The oversaw the hiring process in 2005, and came upon Scott Linehan. I’m not going to go into detail about him, because we all know how that turned out. Linehan was able to reap the benefits of a great 2005 draft (OJ Atogwe, Ron Bartell, Richie Incognito, Alex Barron, and Madison Hedgecock) as well as a declining base of talent from the younder days to go 8-8 in 2006 and almost make the playoffs. The front office felt good, as they believed this was due to good drafting and Scott Linehan’s good coaching.

Then it got really ugly. The 2006 draft produced Tye Hill, Joe Klopfenstein, Claude Wroten, Dominique Byrd, Victor Adeyanju, Marques Hagans, and Mark Setterstrom. The 2007 team went 3-13. The 2007 draft produced Adam Carriker, Brain Leonard, Johnathan Wade, Clifton Ryan, and Derek Stanley. Hardly something to write home about. The 2008 team went 2-14. The 2008 draft produced Chris Long, Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Justin King, John Greco, Chris Chamberlain, and David Vobora. The jury is still out on this draft, but currently the 2009 team is 0-7 and simply not compeitive, but this is due to years of poor drafting by the team.

After the 2008 season, the Rams cleared house. Linehan was gone, Zygmunt was gone, Shaw was in a severley reduced role, and much of the roster over the age of 30 was let go. Billy Devaney was promoted and now oversees all the drafts the Rams make. The 2009 draft produced Jason Smith, James Laurinaitis, Bradley Fletcher, Brooks Foster, and Keith Null. Obviously the jury is still out on this draft, and we will see what they have in them next year.

What was left for Steve Spagnuolo et al in 2009 was a roster devoid of much any talent not named Steven Jackson. Spagnuolo knew what he was getting himself into, and he was fine with that. Otherwise, he would not have taken the job. Years and years of poor drafting had caught up to the Rams, and he knew it was going to be rebuilding time for the depleted team. Some players from previous drafts are still producing for the Rams (2005 most notably), and are some of the better players on the team. But the overall failure of drafting is extremely evident on the team today.

My point here is that the NFL is all about drafting. You can lie to yourself and others that it’s mostly about coaching and/or free agency, but that’s simply not true. The more young, great, NFL quality players you can bring in through a draft is the better team you’re going to have down the line, five or ten years from the fact. The reason the Rams were good from 1999-2003 was because of those three great drafts in the late ’90s. The reason the Rams are terrible now is because of terrible drafts since then.

Steve Spagnuolo was hired to oversee this rebuilding process. With him and Devaney in charge, I’m confident the drafts and subsequently the play of the team will improve. But you can’t build in an empire overnight. This rebuilding process is going to take 3-5 years before you can honestly say the Rams are back to where they should be. I would argue the Rams started that process with a decent draft last year and a decent draft this year, but that remains to be seen.

With that being said, there’s no reason to be calling for Spagnuolo’s, Devaney’s, or anybody else’s head right now. Everyone knew what could happen this year, and unfortunately it has. Has it been a little worse than expected? Of course. But are the Rams still making the commitment to move forward with the team and reverse the trends of poor drafting the past 8 years? Yes.

And that’s why I remain optimistic. If you look at the Rams on paper, they are a piss poor team. I know that, you know that, and Peter King knows that. But if you look at what they are trying to do, they are succeeding. That’s why I take the actual results of the game lightly and instead look at how the team played. For example, I don’t care if the Rams lost the game if it means that Steven Jackson, James Lauranaitis, and Jason Smith had good games but Marc Bulger threw three pick-sixes. Marc Bulger isn’t the future of the team, James Lauranaitis is. You have to look at this year with an eye to the future, and that’s what I’m able to do. This year is a lost cause is the won-loss coulmn obviously, but it’s not a lost cause to developing players and getting them some experience. It’s pointless to keep hoping for this team that’s so devoid of talent to succeed because you know they’re not. However, it’s not pointless to hope for a big game from a young player the next game, because you know that big game could actually mean something one or two years down the line.

In the culture of what have you done for me lately, the Rams are easy to target. I don’t think everybody should be as optimistic as I am, but I think everyone should at least have a realistic view of where the team is at the moment and where they are going. You can’t blame today’s regime for yesterday’s mistakes, but you can hope today’s regime will fix today’s problems and become yesterday’s problem.

all draft information courtesy stlouisrams.com