Week 4 Monday Afternoon TPS Report
Oct 1st 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL
Don’t Miss…
–This story from the the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette which talks about the haunting similarities between Steve Breaston’s game-breaking punt return and the Troy Brown punt return that helped the Patriots win the 2001 AFC Championship game.
–David Carr’s swan dive over two sprawling Bucs defenders.
–A shot of Tatum’s Bell’s ripped pants and the ass that lies underneath. (It’s in here somewhere)
–LaDainian Tomlinson’s refreshingly candid remarks about how the team has been talking instead of playing.
Somebody Tell Punters Penalties Are Bad
One of the great enigmas of the NFL is coaches who take delay of game penalties in order to give their punters more room for a pooch punt. In simple terms, this move is asinine, defenseless, and moronic. Downing a ball inside the 10 yard-line is 20% the punt and 80% the gunners getting downfield in time. When you move your team back five yards, you make it much harder for the gunners to get down the field. I don’t care if a punter says it’s easier if he’s a little farther back. He’s an NFL punter. He should be able to punt from the 40 yard-line instead of the 45. There’s even incontrovertible evidence that it’s a stupid move. The other team almost never declines the penalty. Don’t you think the other team would decline the penalty if taking the penalty was actually a good move? The reason they don’t decline it is that they’re perfectly happy to let the other team give up 5 yards. From now on I’m going to single out every coach who believes in the delay of game penalty. Today I point the finger at Eric Mangini, who took a delay of game penalty on the Jets first drive.
Missing: Donovan McNabb’s Legs
I know Donovan McNabb is getting old. I know at this point he has the knees of a 70 year-old woman. Still, McNabb needs to at least threaten to run. He need to at least make opponents think he’s not terrified of being hit. The Eagles gave up 12 sacks last night. Their offensive line played terrible, but part of it was McNabb’s fault. When the pocket started to collapse he never sprinted up in the pocket like he was going to run. He just stood there until the Giants defenders collapsed on him.
In contrast, look at Tony Romo. When Romo sees pressure is coming he sprints forward—at that point he either runs for a first down or he goes to a spot where he knows the rush won’t get him. McNabb doesn’t even think about running and as a result he never escapes the pocket in anything but a hopeless retreating position. McNabb couldn’t have prevented the 12 sacks, but if used his legs more aggressively before it got to be too late he might have been able to avoid some of them.
Bonehead Plays of the Week
Tony Romo
Good for you Tony Romo. The ball was snapped 30 yards over your head and you turned in into a highlight-reel 4 yard-run. The only problem is that you’re an idiot. Fall on the ball. Do you know what the chances of making a first down on that play are? 1000 to 1. Do you what the chances of it turning into a touchdown for the Rams are? About 10 to 1. I don’t know how you got a smart guy like Tom Jackson to praise to play, but it was stupid. Just ask Kurt Warner.
Tom Coughlin
Oh Tom. When will you learn that you can’t punt on 4th and 3 from your opponent’s 35 yard-line. That kind of thing just isn’t done anymore.
Shrewd Moves of the Week
Mike Shanahan and Ken Whisenhunt
Both these coaches designed great game plans. Shanahan successfully pounded the football on the ground all game—unfortunately the Colts offense was too much. Whisenhunt decided to crowd the line of scrimmage and force the Steelers to throw the ball down the field. Fortunately, the Steelers only threw the ball deep three times. Once it resulted in a touchdown, and the other two times they did it nearly resulted in touchdowns. I’m not quite sure why they didn’t try it any more. Chalk up a bonehead move to Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Getting back to Whisenhunt, the decision paid off big time. The Cardinals defense stuffed both the Steelers running game and short passing game, and in the end they emerged victorious.
Stat O’ the Week
2 The most seasons any player has led the NFL in sacks. While looking up some old sack records during Osi Umenyiora and the Giant’s sack-a-palooza last night, I was surprised to learn that nobody has led the league in sacks more than twice. Not Lawrence Taylor, not Derrick Thomas, not Reggie White, and not Mark Gastineau.
European Football Goal of the Week
Elano of Manchester City vs. Newcastle United
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