Week 7 NFL Musings
Uncategorized October 22nd. 2007, 10:48am
We’ll take this opportunity to point you in the direction of Matthew Berry’s comical fantasy football tips from Thursday. Is his brother DJ Hackett’s agent? Dude was inactive, yet Berry continues to treat Hackett as if he were Mark Duper. Berry also “didn’t love Randy Moss here” even though the Dolphins have the worst defense in the NFL. Among his other 4,000 tips, Berry “hated” the Pittsburgh trio of Big Ben, Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller. As you can see, they were all productive. Yes, we’re ready to offer a challenge to Mr. Berry.
* Does anyone else think Marion Barber runs like a gang of ne’er do wells are chasing him? There isn’t a more mesmerizing runner in the NFL. This point cannot be argued.
* If you’re out at a Chicago watering hole this week and you see Rex Grossman tipping back a Vodka gimlet, don’t bother the guy. Just let him be. The way Brian Griese orchestrated that game-winning 97-yard drive, it wouldn’t surprise us if Rex was cut loose in the offseason. It’s too bad he never had the luxury of using Devin Hester as a decoy.
* Herman Edwards is one of the most maligned coaches in the NFL … and yet his Chiefs are amazingly 4-3 despite being outscored 102-113. They have a bye this week, and then we expect it all to go south – Green Bay, Denver and Indy.
* If you were lucky enough to pick up a guy named Will Heller in your fantasy league this week, we must hear about it. Don’t know how you could prove this, but please try. He had four receptions last year, but three Sunday, including two for TDs.
* Is anyone else surprised that the Patriots backup QB, Matt Cassell, is a guy who made one college start … at tight end? Cassell had more pass attempts Sunday – two – than he had in his college career.
* How much of a non-entity is record-setting Tennessee kicker Rod Bironas? We were looking for obscure information on Sunday’s hero, but he doesn’t even have a wikipedia entry. The neatest thing we could find is that he worked at Best Buy kind of recently.
* A reader sent us some audio of postgame Eagles-Bears talk, and a fan can faintly be heard yelling, ‘WE WANT BILL COWHER NEXT YEAR!’ Too bad we’re not skilled enough to post the audio.
* For the gamblers in the house, we went 1-6 on our parlays. Hit a five teamer (Giants, Redskins, Bengals, Seahawks, Cowboys to win) and the Steelers ruined our eight-teamer. Also, Tampa Bay ruined a four-teamer.
* Speaking of the Steelers, the only two times they went on the road against decent teams (Arizona, Denver), they lost. Future road trips include Cincy, New England and Baltimore. Assuming a home loss to Jacksonville … that’s 10-6 and probably not hosting a first-round game.
* Jim Everett ain’t comin’ through those doors.
48 Responses to “Week 7 NFL Musings”
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October 22nd, 2007 at 10:52 AM
Indy and the Colts? The Chiefs might beat one of them.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Parlays have been just killing me this season…yesterday though I did win the Giants (-9.5), lost those winning with a NYJ (+6) and Oakland (-3) parlay but then rebounded with the over in the Steeler-Bronco game
I’m slumping worse than Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner right now
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:01 AM
I’m all behind you on the Marion Barber comparison even though I don’t know what ne’er do wells are. I was most impressed with the Vikes Peterson until I saw Barber looking for someone to run over at the end of every run. He is a beast.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 AM
I’ve posted this before, but Berry is an Asshat. That being said, kudos to him for conning ESPN to give him lots of money and exposure to give out his ridiculous fantasy tips. There is no reason for any of those Fantasy Experts to exist.
So, I’m watching the Chiefs/Raiders game and flipping to the Vikes/Gals game. I watch this one drive where Peterson is handed the ball, promptly hit, and then still gets yards (capped by a 20 yard TD run). The next series he doesn’t enter the game. And then it was sporadic. What’s with the not giving him the ball? I’m not talking about LJ 2006 carries, but he pretty much is the entire offense.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:03 AM
indy and the colts are the same team i thought there Roony
i have marion barber on my fantasy team and he hasnt done shit for me the past three weeks, no more than ten points
he is a great back, but Dallas needs to make him there feature back and get rid of julius jones
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:03 AM
How would the Steelers not host a playoff game…you guys think that the Browns or Ravens are winning that division?
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:10 AM
Tavaris Jackson is dreadful, you know you’re bad when Kelly Holcomb would be an upgrade, hell Brooks Bollinger would be an upgrade.
The Niners are dreadful but maybe if they can beat the Saints Sunday their season will still be alive, or if we can convince Norv Turner to be our coordinator again.
Steelers are definitely winning the AFC North, can’t believe so many people picked the Ravens to beat Buffalo on the road, I was 100 percent sure they would lose that game.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:11 AM
Fantasy “experts” are idiots. It’s impossible to predict what one team will do from week-to-week. Impossible. Don’t ever listen to one.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:13 AM
Larry Johnson over 100 and a touchdown and 6 catches…
Methinks the hold out hurt him the first few games…
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Once the Ravens get McNair back, they’ll be fine
Boller is awful
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:18 AM
McNair is awful
Gosh TBL
the question is, where is the defense
Trent Edwards is a quarterback lol
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Berry is an idiot.
I wouldn’t take any fantasy football advice from any of the ESPN guys. Yahoo and Fox have better and more accurate guessers.
Oh and the Saints still will make the playoffs. I said it last week and I still think it today.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:27 AM
T. Jackson will be out of the NFL in 2 years. I just hope the Vikings lose the rest of their games and get a real quarterback….oh and maybe a new head coach?
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:33 AM
KC Resident – that’s the same question us fans in MN ask every week. Childress’ response is “we want to keep him fresh.” Childress can not coach. He needs to be fired. T-Jack has to have depth perception problems. The guy can not hit a guy beyond 10 yards. He lobs when he should put some zip on the ball and he zips it when he should be putting air under it. He has a rocket arm, but that’s it.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:36 AM
Probably the most important question of all: Was there a fake field goal, or is TBL holding out hope for tonight’s game?
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:39 AM
As a Steelers fan, that game was agonizing. Why are there no in-game adjustments? Why?
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 AM
I wouldn’t hang my hat on the Ravens at all…they’re bad with McNair or without him (gotta love the offensive genius Billick who refuses to run the ball)
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Mozatta –
I haven’t seen the Vikes play all season and after that drive where he ran over the Gals D, I was thinking, “they may suck, but if I get to watch Purple Jesus do this it’s better than the agony that is watching a Chiefs/Raiders game.”
Needless to say, I saw way more of Chester than I ever cared to and some of the worst quarterbacking I’ve ever seen.
The Vikes playbook should resemble a 5th grade pee wee team’s playbook. You know, the team with the 4 foot tall 50 lb QB that can’t throw, but has the tall big kid that weighs 120 lbs and can run through anything. Run Left. Run Right. That should be the extent of the Vikes plays.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 AM
That is amazing KC Res. You haven’t seen a game all year, and that IS what they do. Run left, Run right, incomplete pass, and then punt.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:55 AM
The only thing more ridiculous than Rob Bironas holding the FG record is that Rich Karlis had the record before him.
On the horizon: 3 of the next 4 games for the Saints are against the 49ers, Rams, and Texans. If they can win those 3 (and lose to the Jags), the Saints are at 5-5 by Thanksgiving. Hell, that’s probably good enough for a wild card in the NFC this year.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 PM
TBL, I get stuck with Ravens games all the time, they are NOT better with McNair, they suck regardless of who the QB is. Their offense has always been atrocious and will always be atrocious and I hate that they ever moved to Baltimore because I get stuck watching their shitty, boring ass games every week
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:04 PM
It’s impossible to predict what one team will do from week-to-week.
Unless it is the Patriots Offense this year, I feel safe saying Brady will put up three td’s every week.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:08 PM
Which of the following has the greater likelihood of happening:
The Dolphins going 0-16, or
Byron Leftwich making through an entire game without getting hurt.
I’m taking the Dolphins.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:08 PM
Boller isn’t as bad as people make him out to be.
At least he throws down the field. Mess around with McNair and you’ll get 22 completions for 91 yards.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:14 PM
“I feel safe saying Brady will put up three td’s every week.”
The ‘85 Bears felt pretty confident about their defense until they went to Miami. Never say never. I ain’t sayin’ they’re not the favorite. I’m just sayin’ that nothing is a lock.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:15 PM
the steelers are way overrated. beating the browns (w/ charlie frye), SF and buffalo means jack shit. Look at the qb’s they faced: frye, smith, losman. are you kidding me? what an awesome defense. then they face warner/leinart and cutler and lose rather awkwardly, and these are rather average qb’s, what happens when they face an awesome offense?
their offense is pretty awful too if they get forced to throw the ball. roethlisberger didn’t look awful, but that’s not how the steelers win games. you stuff the box, they lose.
i still see the steelers winning the division, but they’re not much better than the browns or ravens at this point.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 PM
Boller is not horrible, but he and Akili Smith are what is wrong with the NFL combine system, at least when it comes to quarterbacks.
They’re first round picks because they can throw the ball 90 yards.
Great, that’ll come in handy next time it’s 3rd and 89.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 PM
I can’t even talk about the Vikings anymore without wanting to smash my face in with a rusty garden rake.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:34 PM
boller is a good backup qb. FO had it the best when they were comparing quinn and jamarcus at the draft. the best stat for evaluating a QB’s potential success in the NFL is the number of collegiate starts and completion percentage. Phillip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Donovan McNabb, and Peyton were guys who had over 40 starts in college while guys like Joey Harrington, Akili, Vick, Jim Drukenmiller all had less than 30 starts just like Boller.
Of course this all thrown out the window because Vince Young decided not to suck.
boller just can’t read intermediate defenses and make a decisive throw. he’s good in relief, but don’t stake your teams’ fortune on a guy like him.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:40 PM
The Steelers’ offensive playcalling was atrocious last night. They came into the game intent on proving they could pass against the “historically awesome Broncos secondary” and it bit them in the ass. Yes, they did move the ball through the air, but Willie Parker should have gotten 30 carries against the (then) worst rushing defense in the league. Still think the Steelers are legit. Not on the Indy/N.E. level, but they’re pretty damn solid.
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:43 PM
- The Saints keep looking like they’re going to make the playoffs. NFC is just awful.
- At what point does Dallas just say “screw it” and go with Marion Barber for the rest of the year.
- Unless Cleveland does the impossible, how can Pittsburgh not host a playoff game? They might not get far, but they’ll win that bad division and host either Tennessee or Jacksonville.
- I felt Minnesota was a sleeper, but Tavaris Jackson will keep that from happening apparently.
- As for “Fantasy Experts”…hahaha. Maybe in baseball, where nerds can codify every stat for 162 games. 16 games is just too scattershot.
But look, Bill Simmons’ fantasy team is undefeated. What does that say about Matthew Berry?
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Seems to me like the Pats have short dick syndrome. Was it even necessary for Brady to play the second half of the Miami, or anything after the first quarter for that matter? Running up the score on the league’s worst teams is like waiting around for last call and taking home the chubby, slurring brunette that was falling off her stool for the past hour.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:05 PM
Normally, I would agree with you wilcox, but when you own Brady on your fantasy team, you root for him to keep playing. Who I might add was ranked behind Peyton and Breese on Berry’s list.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:05 PM
wilcox – that question was asked during the post-game press conference.
1) yes it was important for him to play after the 1st quarter. For 2 reasons: a) it’s only the first half b) this is the NFL. Teams have come back from big deficits before
2) yes it was good they scored right before the half. Again, it’s the 1st half and no lead is ever safe.
3) Beating up on the Dolphins sends a message to the team they play next week. It’s a statement that says “we’re coming for you next week and we’re going to beat the heck out of you.”
This is the NFL kid, this isn’t pop warner.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:23 PM
What the Pats did wasn’t running up the score at all. To quote Herm Edwards, Hello, the Texans scored 29 fourth quarter points yesterday and nearly won, you play to to win the game.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:29 PM
its not the fact that brady was in, its the general strategy of the pats to begin with. they still feel the need to throw the ball all the time instead of just running it and milking the clock. now, i didn’t see the dolphins game, but i did see the browns and cowboys games and it was obvious in both of those instances as well.
in the 4th quarter against the browns, the pats were still throwing it in the 4th, despite the fact that they could have just ground out a victory by running it (against one of the worst run D’s in the NFL). but instead they continued to throw. same thing in the dallas game. real fucking classy, i dont care if it was “only” a 2 score game, at least show some respect to obviously overmatched opponents.
whats more of a statement? the pats throwing meaningless touchdowns at the end of games they were already winning handily or a 13 play, 9 minute drive where you just beat the hell out of the other team and leave them with 5 minutes to get 3 scores? again, fucking classless.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:33 PM
Jason Taylor making an ass out of himself when still down by 21 also had a hand in Brady going back out for his 6th TD. Bellichick has no qualms about cheating or planting his demon seed in another dude’s wife, you think he won’t have Tom Terrific run up the score just because he can?
For a second I thought Whisenhunt was back as the Steelers OC last night. Hmm, world’s worst run defense, we’ve got a guy that’s in contention for the running title, our offensive line has problems with pass protection, so let’s get cute and put on an airshow! The only things missing were some reverses and a couple halfback options.
We can debate the Steelers’ flaws or lack of quality wins all day (although they did put the nuts to Hasselbeck and the Seahawks), but as long as the Ravens have Billick calling the plays and McNair or Boller executing them, then I like the Steelers chances.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 PM
JoeSportsFan–
Don’t know how you can say the Steelers are legit when they can’t beat a pair of utterly average opponents away from home. I think Tomlin will be good, but he was thoroughly out-coached last night. They couldn’t establish the run, and they made no adjustments to protect Ben, who was harassed all night by a pretty mediocre defensive line.
I do think they’ll win the division, but that’s mainly because the AFC North is down this year and they have a creampuff schedule: the rest of they way is @Cincinnati, Baltimore, Cleveland, @Jets, Miami, Cincinnati, @New England, Jacksonville, @St. Louis, @Baltimore. Even assuming that they split all their remaining division games (which won’t happen), that still puts them at 10-6 by my count.
So if by “legit” you mean “having a real shot at making any noise in January,” I have to disagree. But if you mean “winning the division and then getting their doors blown off by Tennessee in the first round,” then I think you’re dead-on.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:05 PM
Damn. Apparently, there wasn’t a fake field goal attempted last night. That stinks! I can’t see the Colts trying one on the road, so Jags, it’s on you, fellas.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:19 PM
Maroney is just coming off a groin injury, Morris is hurt.. That leaves Faulk. Not really the “grind it out” rushing attack.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 PM
give me a break. grinding it out is about the offensive line. how many times have you heard pundits slobbering all over the pats o-line? you mean to tell me that they couldnt get 4 yards a carry with eckel? a 240 lb battering ram with “that offensive line?”
my point is that it wasnt classless having brady out there, the problem was when he was still throwing passes. screw the pats, theyll lose in the playoffs because of karmic payback.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 PM
Hmm, now I wonder why Bruce Arians got his ass fired at Cleveland…
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:47 PM
If you look at the Ravens schedule the rest of the way it is brutal, Pittsburgh twice, San Diego, New England, Indianapolis, no way they win the divison or make the playoffs
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:18 PM
I don’t think any team is going to be intimidated by watching the Pats ass-blistering the shitheap that is the AFC East.
I am kind of intimidated by the ever-growing size of belicheat’s man-tits, though.
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:48 PM
The biggest upset of all time would happen if anyone in the AFC East stayed within a TD of the patriots this year. That division is just putrid. Of course, if there is such as thing as karma, Brady will suffer 2 torn ACLs while throwing for the endzone in the 4th quarter of a 30 point game.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:24 PM
“Robut M. Nixon – Steelers blitzed by Tennessee in 1st round? ”
Are you serious? the same tenn defense that got taken to town by Sage Rosenfels? That’s almost funny. What is it about Tenn that you think they are even close to as solid a football team as Pittsburgh.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:27 PM
RJ–
The Titans have a great defense–especially on the line–that can stuff the run (Haynesworth) and get after the QB (Vanden Bosch). They’ve given up 5 more PPG than the vaunted Pittsburgh D, yet have played a tougher schedule: Steelers beat Cleveland, Buffalo, San Francisco and Seattle; Tennessee beat Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta and Houston. Pittsburgh has lost to Arizona and Denver; Tennessee has lost to Indianapolis (in a nail-biter) and Tampa Bay.
They have a solid if unspectacular rushing game that gets the job done (144 rushing YPG to Pittsburgh’s 159), their coach has Super Bowl experience, and given the choice between Vince Young and a guy who put his face through a car windshield 14 months ago, I choose VY every day of the week. And twice on Sunday.
I’ll grant that Tennessee is prone to the same mistakes any young team is–they utterly failed to close out Houston, like you said–but I think the Steelers are being overrated this season due to a weak schedule and the 2006 playoff run. On the contrary, the Titans have won every single way possible–through defense, on the ground, in the air, in a shootout. I agree that the Steelers are more “solid,” but the Titans have more potential.
Long story short: the Steelers will win the division, but I don’t see them getting past the first round.
Oh, and phrases like “What is it about Tenn that you think they are even close to as solid a football team as Pittsburgh” just feed my hunch.
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:50 AM
RMN, so you’re saying that because most facets of the Titans game almost match up with the Steelers, that equates to them “blowing the doors off of Pittsburgh” in a playoff game? I disagree. But it’s a moot point until if and when they would meet up, so until then…