|
I've got a TON to say so
let's get at it
I’d just like to weigh in on
this whole benching your star players in the final weeks
of the NFL season. I’m not completely down with
it unless my team is involved. But if my team is depending
on an 11-1 team benching its players to sneak in the back
door of the big dance then I’m not sure I want to
be there either. Listen, these teams have to bench these
starts if they already have a playoff spot wrapped up.
It makes total sense neither you nor I have to agree with
it but the last couple weeks of the NFL season will always
remind you of preseason unless your team has something
to fight for. That’s just the way it is so get used
to it.
Here’s what I am talking about.
Ben Roethlisberger's ribs are only bruised, but Pittsburgh
Steelers coach Bill Cowher listed the rookie quarterback
as questionable for Sunday's regular-season finale at
Buffalo.
The game is meaningless for the Steelers, who have won
a franchise-record 13 straight games and clinched home-field
advantage for the playoffs in the AFC.
The Bills are riding a six-game win streak that has put
them in position to earn a playoff berth after an 0-4
start. Buffalo needs to beat the Steelers and have either
the New York Jets or Denver Broncos lose in order to clinch
a spot in the playoffs.
Cowher said his plans for the game would not change even
if another playoff berth were not dependent on the outcome.
"This is not about what we
owe anybody," he said. "It's what we owe ourselves.
This is how you play the game."
Roethlisberger was hurt Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens
when he was driven into the turf by Terrell Suggs just
after throwing a third-quarter touchdown pass to Jerame
Tuman.
Cornerback Deshea Townsend has been ruled out of the Buffalo
game with broken bones in his hand.
Listed as doubtful for Sunday are
running back Jerome Bettis (ankle) and outside linebacker
Clark Haggans (groin). Running back Duce Staley (hamstring)
and inside linebacker Kendrell Bell (groin) are questionable.
Cowher hopes Staley can start and allow Bettis to rest,
even though Bettis is just 59 yards shy of what would
be his ninth 1,000-yard season. Make sense to you? Didn’t
think so. Let the bus run for his 1000.
Monday
Night Football
As for what we are seeing in primetime
on our beloved Sunday Night and Monday Night football
telecasts well this is a shame. ABC and ESPN surely didn’t
plan on a sleeper in St. Louis or two 11-3 teams….ooops…
3-11 teams playing on Sunday Night Lights. Or was it dark
in Miami I can’t remember, oh that’s right.
I didn’t even watch a minute of that game. BORING!!!!
Ratings for "Monday Night Football"
fell 4 percent to the lowest in 35 seasons for one of
ABC's showcase programs.
The 17 weekly telecasts were watched in an average of
11 percent of the 109.6 million U.S. homes with television
sets, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc. Last year's
average rating was 11.5, up from the previous low of 11.4
in 2002. The high rating for the series was 21.7 in 1981.
"Monday Night Football"
has been among the top 10 prime- time shows for 15 years.
It was seventh this season entering this week's game,
a 20-7 victory by St. Louis over Philadelphia that drew
a 10.6 rating -- the highest for any show Monday night
in all demographics and age groups, Nielsen said.
ABC has lost about $150 million a year on its $550 million
average annual rights fee for MNF in a deal that expires
after the 2005 season. A new rights contract will be negotiated
next year. While ABC officials have had preliminary conversations
with the NFL, it remains unclear whether the network will
retain the show.
Notes
Dallas Cowboys S Darren Woodson
will retire at the end of the season, The Dallas Morning
News reported. Also, the Cowboys put RB Richie Anderson
on injured reserve with a pinched nerve in his neck and
released OL Matt Lehr.
Tennessee Titans QB Steve McNair
underwent surgery to strengthen his bruised chest, which
has plagued him most of the season. The surgery involved
taking a piece of bone from McNair's right hip and inserting
it into an area of cartilage that exists in the sternum.
Doctors said they believe the insertion
of bone will promote bone growth to replace the cartilage.
McNair is expected to be out at least six weeks before
being allowed to lift weights as part of a strengthening
and conditioning program.
| |
The
Broncos placed RB Garrison Hearst on IR with a broken
left hand.
Advertisements
during the 2005 Super Bowl, Feb. 6 on Fox, will
cost an average of $2.4 million, 6.7 percent more
than last season. |
More Rambling
Some teams steamroll into the NFL
playoffs, some back in and some stumble in as if they'd
finally found their way home after wandering around dizzy
and lost.
Take the Seattle Seahawks. Please.
At 8-7, they are mediocrity personified
- yet they've already clinched a playoff spot as the NFC
West leader. This is a team that offsets inspiring runs
with fumbles, bounces between defensive stands and inexplicable
breakdowns. It is not for lack of effort that they struggle.
It takes work to be so determinedly self-destructive just
when they seem ready to win.
Or take their NFC brethren in ordinariness:
Green Bay, which has clinched the North division with
a 9-6 record; and the four teams still alive for the two
remaining playoff spots. The woeful Rams (7-8) have a
chance, as do Minnesota (8-7), Carolina (7-8) and New
Orleans (7-8).
That means at least one NFC playoff
team will boast a .500 record.
Aside from Philadelphia, now without injured Terrell Owens,
and Atlanta, an average team with an above-average record,
the NFC stinks this year.
Blame it on the cycles of the game. Next year it could
be the AFC's turn
In other football news, Philadelphia didn't even try to
win on Monday Night Football. Will the team try to win
its season finale against Cincinnati? After that, the
Nesharim have a bye week. If they don't go all-out to
beat the Bengals, it will be almost month -- from Dec.
19 to Jan. 15 or 16 -- between games that matter for Philadelphia.
That is not good karma.
Teams that have locked up their best
possible finish, as Philadelphia had before Week 16, always
face a dilemma in how to handle the end of the regular
season. I say play to win. Recall that going into its
regular-season finale last year, Denver had locked up
its best finish; the Broncos made a half-hearted effort
and got blown out 31-3 at Green Bay. A week later in the
playoffs, the Broncos got blown out 41-10 at Indianapolis.
Not trying to win disrupted Denver's karma. In Week 17,
Indianapolis goes to Denver with the Colts having already
locked their best finish. Learn from what you witnessed
last season, Colts -- play to win!
And in still more football news,
millions of fans must have spent the week fingering their
worry beads because the NFL is now less likely to hurtle
toward the disaster of a losing team in the postseason.
But it still may not be pretty. The likelihood is there
will be at least one 8-8 team that makes the playoffs
while three teams with winning records do not. Also, there
is a strong chance a 10-6 team will be kept out while
one or more 8-8 teams are in. Last week, yours truly proposed
a way to change the NFL playoff system to prevent this
from happening again.
Stats of the
Week #1
Buffalo and Carolina opened a combined
1-11 and since have gone a combined 15-3.
Stats of the Week No. 2
The Dolphins staged a 12-play, 6:51 drive that ended in
a punt.
Stats of the Week No. 3
After gaining 1,068 yards in its previous two games, Tennessee
gained 153 yards at home.
Stats of the Week No. 4
Green Bay has four field-goal victories this season --
twice by a final of 34-31 and twice by a final of 16-13.
Stats of the Week No. 5
Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, who had a combined 44,972
career yards from scrimmage going into their Cardinals
at Seahawks meeting, added another 65 yards.
Stats of the Week No. 6
In its last six outings, Buffalo has scored 228 points
-- more than Indianapolis scored in its last six outings,
and just 15 points fewer than the Bills scored in all
of 2003.
Stats of the Week No. 7
The last time Washington won at Dallas, Heath Shuler was
the Redskins quarterback.
Stats of the Week No. 8
In the Cleveland Browns (Beta Version) at Dolphins game,
there were two fumbles and an interception on the same
play. See the gamebook at 10:32 of the third quarter.
Stats of the Week No. 9
If every pass a quarterback throws clangs to the ground
incomplete, his rating is 39.6 under the NFL's cryptic
system. In Week 16, San Francisco starting quarterback
Ken Dorsey finished with a 26.7 passer rating and was
lifted for Cody Pickett, who finished with an 18.8 rating.
Stats of the Week No. 10
Minnesota had possession of the ball for 52 seconds in
the second quarter and scored three offensive touchdowns.
Stats of the Week No. 11
Dominic Rhodes of Indianapolis had more kickoff return
yards (236) than the yardage of the entire San Francisco
offense (189) or the entire Tennessee offense (153) or
the entire Jacksonville offense (126).
Stats of the Week No. 12
In the first half against Philadelphia, the Rams rushed
more times than they had in either of their two previous
entire games.
Idiot Move of the Week - Why Are
You Punting???????
Trailing Buffalo 20-0 in the
middle of the third quarter, San Francisco faced fourth-and-3
on its 45. In trotted the punting unit. Emboldened by
the home team's mincing fraidy-cat play, the visitors
took the punt and drove for touchdown that had the Niners'
faithful filing out of Monster Park in search of microbrews.
You're trailing by 20 points at home, you're 2-12, it's
fourth-and-3 at midfield, what do you have to lose? And
now you are 2-13. One of our readers Geoff L. of New York
City pointed out the play, adding, "This stuff practically
writes itself." Geoff, don't tell them that -- it's
a trade secret!
Enjoy Week 17 Folks –
Now Get Back To Work……….
|
|
Week
16 STUD
I'll say this for Reuben Droughns:
Give the guy some damn carries already. You see
what this warrior does? Gets a little push from
the rookie and comes out and explodes for 3td's.
Great Week Reu. Not only did you surprise the hell
out of me, but, you were on my Fantasy Bench as
well. Thanks Meathead. |
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.
| | | |
