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I've got a TON to say so let's get at it
Stats of the Week
Since taking the field for
their Super Bowl appearances, Carolina and Oakland
are a combined 7-24.
Stats of the Week No. 2
Baltimore was held to 160 yards
of offense, yet won easily.
Stats of the Week No. 3
Kansas City recorded 27 more
first downs than Atlanta.
Stats of the Week No. 4
Since entering Week 5 with
the league's No. 1 rated defense, Seattle has given
up 88 points.
Stats of the Week No. 5
For the second consecutive
week, a Green Bay tailback threw a touchdown pass.
Stats of the Week No. 6
Matt Hasselbeck and Drew Bledsoe
threw as many interceptions as the Bears, Bengals,
Bucs, Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts,
Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Giants, Jaguars, Jets,
Lions, Packers, Panthers, Patriots, Ravens and Vikings
combined.
Stats of the Week No. 7
Baltimore had more return yards
(203) than offensive yards (160).
Stats of the Week No. 8
Kansas City's record-setting
eight touchdown runs in a single game is eight more
than Buffalo has on the entire season.
Stats of the Week No. 9
New England's defense has allowed
just 72 yards on 72 red-zone plays this season,
an average of 36 inches per red-zone play, while
gaining four takeaways. Stat from FootballOutsiders.
Stats of the Week No. 10
The top five defensive teams
-- Washington, Denver, Tampa, Miami and Buffalo
-- have a combined record of 10-22.
Stats of the Week No. 11
The top five offensive teams
-- Minnesota, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Philadelphia
and Kansas City -- have a combined record of 20-11.
Sour Play of the Week
Leading 14-7 in the third,
Miami faced fourth-and-inches on its own 40. In
trotted the punting unit. TMQ attends a lot of high-school
football games, and whenever there is punt formation
on fourth-and-short, coaches scream to their charges
"It's going to be a fake!" They expect
the fake because so little ground needs be gained
for the first down. The St. Louis Rams could use
a good high-school coach: Direct-snap to the Dolphins'
up man who ran six yards for the first, with Les
Mouflons looking shocked that it was a fake.
Best Play by a Quarterback
Who Actually Wants to Be in San Diego
While Eli Manning watched Kurt
Warner throw into coverage and high-priced holdout
Philip Rivers was nailed to the Chargers pine, Drew
Brees hit a perfect 23-yard strike to Keenan McCardell
on San Diego's go-ahead drive. Carolina leading
6-0 in the third, the Bolts faced first-and-10 on
their 49. Brees faked the toss-sweep left, then
rolled right and drilled the ball to McCardell;
three snaps later, LaDainian Tomlinson went in from
the 8, and San Diego never looked back. I don't
wish to alarm you, but Brees is currently the sixth-rated
passer in the league.
Why Certain Teams Are
1-5
Trailing 17-6 in the fourth
quarter, Buffalo faced third-and-goal at the Ravens
5. The pass was intercepted by safety Chad Williams,
who took off with Buffalo's very highly paid Willis
McGahee in pursuit. McGahee chased Williams to about
midfield and then, though only slightly behind the
Ravens runner, simply gave up and watched as Williams
continued toward the Buffalo end zone. Eventually
Williams was tripped up at the Buffalo 6; a field
goal followed, as did defeat. When very highly paid
gentlemen like McGahee simply give up on plays and
stand around watching, it's a sign of a team that
deserves to lose.
What stands out from
Monday’s game?
The Bengals played as well
as they have all season on both sides of the ball.
Carson Palmer didn’t look comfortable against
the Broncos’ blitz, but he didn’t repeat
critical mistakes and got the ball in the hands
of Chad Johnson, despite coverage from CB Champ
Bailey.
On the other side of the ball,
the Broncos’ offense appeared inept at times.
Droughns displayed his first signs of running out
of gas. He has carried the ball almost 100 times
in the last three games, a task his body hasn’t
been conditioned to handle. Entering this season,
Droughns had 40 career carries. The Broncos’
offensive line has always been enigmatic in this
sense — they dominate smaller, quicker teams
and struggle against powerful teams who have a throw-the-first-punch
mentality. Expect the Broncos to blend rookie RB
Tatum Bell into the mix, perhaps in multiple-WR
sets, to keep Droughns from pulling up lame down
the stretch.
The Bengals, who started 1-4
last season and finished 8-8, must build on their
momentum to get back in the AFC North race. It appears
they’ll face Tennessee without Steve McNair
on Sunday before hosting Philadelphia.
Lefty
Most NFL scribes figured the
Jaguars would be division-title contenders come
2005. But the future is now for Jacksonville, and
it has everything to do with Leftwich, who has thrown
for at least 298 yards in each of his last four
games.
Leftwich will need to continue
to keep racking up those 300-yard games if he wants
to move up the MVP meter, which is topped again
by Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper was No.
1 on every ballot save one — and on that ballot,
he was second. Talk about your firm grips on a lead.
Here is this week’s MVP
meter, with last week’s rankings in parentheses:
1. Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper
(1)
2. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (2)
3. Patriots QB Tom Brady (4)
4. Colts QB Peyton Manning (3)
5. Eagles WR Terrell Owens (7)
6. Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich (10)
7. Vikings WR Randy Moss (T5)
8. Giants RB Tiki Barber (T5)
Dropping out this week: Rams
QB Marc Bulger (9), Jets RB Curtis Martin (8)
What’s this?
For the first time in five
years, there was some potentially significant wheeling
and dealing before the Oct. 19 trading deadline.
And here’s the interesting
catch: It all involved receivers thirsting for a
change in scenery.
Future Hall of Famer Jerry
Rice, who had become a nonfactor with the Raiders,
couldn’t wait to pack his bags for Seattle,
where he has been reunited with Mike Holmgren, who
was an assistant coach with the 49ers for six of
Rice’s first seven NFL seasons.
WR Keenan McCardell, who had
been holding out for a new contract in Tampa Bay,
packed just as quickly for San Diego, where he was
expected to fill a major role right away.
WR Antonio Bryant, who showed
his disdain for Dallas by throwing a sweaty towel
in the face of Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells
during a June workout, figures to be a much happier
camper in Cleveland, where he was dealt in a straight-up
exchange for WR Quincy Morgan.
Random Thoughts
Well, if next week is any indication,
Mewelde Moore will continue to be the main man for
the Vikings, who don't appear to be ready to mess
with success. Moore will make his fourth consecutive
start next week, even though Michael Bennett has
returned and could be in even better playing shape
by Week 8. Bennett carried just one time in Week
7.
Moore might be the most versatile
and effective back the Vikings have right now, and
whispers out of Minnesota have indicated they are
thrilled with Moore's play and don't intend to send
him back to the bench on a full-time basis anytime
soon. Yes, Moe Williams might steal some of his
goal-line carries, but Moore runs well inside or
outside, and catches passes as well as any RB on
the Vikings' roster.
Bennett has the pedigree of
being a first-round pick, but he can't seem to stay
healthy or run as well inside as consistently as
Moore. Onterrio Smith has one game remaining on
his four-game suspension, and he doesn't stack up
rushing yards as consistently as Moore. Both Bennett
and Smith can break the big play, but Moore is steadier
and is in an apparent groove that Minnesota shouldn't
try to tamper with.
Why did Torry Holt catch only
one pass for four yards in Week 7? And why can't
Fantasy owners depend on him anymore? Just when
it seemed Holt was coming back to life, with a 124-yard
outing in Week 6, he delivered a performance that
killed the victory hopes of many fantasy teams.
It is clear now that Isaac Bruce is the top target
for Marc Bulger, and the fact that the St. Louis
QB also spreads the ball to his third and fourth
receivers isn't helping Holt, either. Many defenses
still regard Holt as the Rams' most explosive threat,
and would rather let Bruce catch the ball, because
he can do less damage after the catch. Opposing
defenses will double-cover Holt and hopefully reduce
big passing plays by paying more attention to him.
It's up to Bulger to deliver
more big strikes to his other receivers to ease
pressure on Holt. Until then, Holt can no longer
be considered a must-start receiver. He still has
the ability to excel every week, but it's apparent
that opponents would rather have St. Louis' other
receivers try to beat them. Expect more erratic
numbers and up-and-down performances from Holt.
Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis:
2 receptions, 28 yards, 0 TD
Wayne was not a factor in an offense that sputtered
at times, and his frustration rose to the surface
when he shoved QB Peyton Manning during an apparently
"tense" exchange between the two. Marvin
Harrison re-emerged as a major target in the passing
game as Wayne was shut down. Opposing defenses are
now starting to pay more attention to Wayne, and
he will start to have a few disappointing outings.
Don't expect consistency from him. Yet you can still
count on some standout performances against weaker
defenses, while keeping in mind that against the
better teams, Harrison will still get the ball first,
even if he's tightly covered in many situations.
Bad News -- Good News
The wife of Green Bay Packers
quarterback Brett Favre was diagnosed with breast
cancer, yet more bad news in a year full of heartache
for the family.
Deanna Favre was recently released
from Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York after
undergoing a lumpectomy, Bonita Favre, the quarterback's
mother, told The Sun Herald on Monday.
Deanna Farve will undergo chemotherapy
treatments which could last up to five months and
is expected to make a full recovery, Bonita Favre
said.
All of us here at Wager On
Football Sportsbook Review Wish The Favre's nothing
but health and happiness on her road to recovery.
Cheers Everyone!!!
Now get
back to work...
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Wager
On Football Writer Ray Monohan is an NFL analyst
with 10+ years of experience covering the NFL. He
provides a great perspective on the NFL with player
and team insight unmatched in the NFL football betting
industry.
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