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Belated Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Jan 3rd 2008ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

How to Lose to the Patriots in 6 Minutes

The Giants coaching staff did a lot of good things on Sunday. Then in the blink of an eye they put on a coaching clinic on how to let the Patriots beat you. Let’s begin early in the 4th quarter with the Giants facing 3rd and 11 and clinging to a 28-23 lead. Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride decided to call conservative little quick out that resulted in a four yard gain and a punt.

Um…are the Giants insane? Were they trying to lose? (Those are all serious questions by the way.) How could they basically forfeit a posession when they knew they would need one or two more touchdowns to win the game? A quick out is an ok call if you can realistically expect to win the game 28-23. The Giants could not do that.

Let’s pick up the action again a mere 60 seconds later. The Patriots face 3rd and 10 from their own 35. Up until that point the Giants had been able to put an incredible amount of pressure on Tom Brady with just three and four man rushes. There was absolutely no reason for the Giants to ever leave their secondary shorthanded by blitzing. So what did the Giants do? They blizted, and Randy Moss caught a 65-yard touchdown pass. It was only a five man rush, but that was still 1-2 more rushers than the Giants needed. Take away those two awful decisions by the Giants coaching staff and at this moment Bill Belichick might be starting at that ugly little “1″ in his loss column.

Don’t Play Games With Keith Traylor

The Dolphins suspended Keith Traylor for Sunday’s game after the defensive tackle got into an “altercation” with two teammates on the team plane. The reason for the altercation has finally been revealed—it all began with some trash talking over an airplane game of dominos. Somebody call Samuel L. Jackson.

Stuff You Don’t Want to Miss…

—Javon Walker on playing for the Broncos: “It’s not for Javon. It’s not for me.”

—Andy Reid is so paranoid about the Philly media he didn’t even want to tell them that Kevin Kolb was the team’s backup quarterback for Sunday’s game. “I just didn’t want [the media] making a big stink about it and I didn’t have to answer all of your questions,” Reid said.

—The Bills got a break with their travel schedule next year. And look, the Patriots got screwed. This is the beginning of the end for you Belichick. (Also, Randy Moss was overtaken by Mason Crosby.)
—The Falcons season is finally over. That means it’s time to take a field trip to Virginia.

—There’s good news for Brynn Cameron’s child support payments. Matt Leinart is still the Cardinals starting quarterback.

—The Jets finally did something to stop the drunken “show us your tits” abuse that goes on in their stadium.

—Winston Justice’s reign as the worst offensive lineman of all time may now be over. Congratulations Winston.

The 12th Man Continues to be a Bandwagon Fan

At halftime of Sunday night’s game the Colts added a “12th Man” inscription to the team’s Ring of Honor, making them the latest team to jump on the whole “we appreciate our fans” fad. Perhaps now Texas A&M and the Seahawks can put their differences aside and join forces to sue the Colts for using the term. Of course if that did happen the Colts would just say that the 12th man doesn’t refer to the crowd, but rather the guy who pumps in crowd noise when the Colts are on defense.

So Long Brian Billick

It’s tough to say whether firing Brian Billick was the right move. He never did bring any offensive firepower to Baltimore, but he won a Super Bowl and the team exceeded expectations last year by about 9 wins. Then this year he had to play most of the season without his starting cornerbacks and with Kyle Boller as his starting quarterback. The one game the Ravens were relatively healthy (against the Patriots) Billick showed what kind of things he could do with the team. Still, sometimes it’s best to just cut the cord and start fresh—that certainly worked this year for the Steelers when they chose Mike Tomlin over Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm. And so, I bid you farewell Coach Billick. You will always have your place in NFL history for winning a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer.

It’s Time for Assistant Coaches in the Playoffs to Get Screwed

The Dallas Cowboys are one of a few playoff teams whose coaching staff is in high demand from teams seeking new leadership (the Falcons are already swirling overhead.) The thing is, it’s likely that none of the Dallas assistants will get jobs because the NFL idiotically allows teams to hire new coaches before the playoffs end. If Jason Garret goes to an interview he might take a few hours off from watching tape of the Cowboys upcoming opponent in order to prepare. But if an assistant from a non-playoff team gets an interview, he has days or even weeks to prepare. Who do you think is going to get the job? This is one reason it took so long for guys like Marvin Lewis and Ken Whisenhunt to become head coaches. It’s time for the NFL to do something about it.

Stat O’ the Week

168. The number of catches Marques Colston has in his first two NFL seasons. That’s the most ever by anybody in their first two years.

European Football Goal O’ the Week

Julio Baptista’s right foot makes all the difference in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Barcelona

Also See…

Week 16 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Dec 24th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

I Now Direct Your Microscope to Terrell Owens’ Ankle

The true status of Owens’ injured left ankle is about to become the most fiercely guarded secret in football. The Cowboys will do whatever it takes to convince future opponents that Owens’ is still capable of being a dangerous offensive weapon. That might entail hiring Nate Newton to guard the medical reports, or leaking stories about the healing powers of a new magical oxygen chamber. However serious Owens’ ankle injury is, the Cowboys will never let anybody know.

So far, the team has only said is that Owens will not play this week, and I suspect “questionable” will be soon be the word most commonly used to describe his status. When all is said and done, I bet Owens will do whatever it takes to come back, but he won’t be at full strength and he’ll end up a complete non-factor in a Cowboys loss. Then he’ll criticize Donovan McNabb’s leadership skills.

Herm Edwards: Master of Motivation

The Chiefs’ great second half arose from a very unconventional halftime. When players came into locker room at the end of the 2nd quarter Herm Edwards eschewed motivational speeches or discussions of strategy and sent them back out onto the field. “I told them maybe we shouldn’t go in at halftime, that maybe we should stay out on the field,” Edwards said. “So it was just like high school. We came in, went to the bathroom and went right back out.” You can’t argue with results. Edwards should continue trying to coach as little as possible.

Don’t Miss This Stuff…

—Nick Barnett still doesn’t know why he was strangled by an official.

—Warren Sapp can no longer say he’s never picked up three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on a single play.

—Titans tackle Tony Brown showed off a new move when he began rolling around in the grass after a sack. “The defense was on fire, so when you are on fire you have to put the fire out with the stop, drop and roll,” Brown said with a smile. “It was something I thought of right then and went with it.” I could definitely see this catching on. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

—The Bears noticed Green Bay punter John Ryan looked shaky and they decided to go after him like he was a fat kid in dodgeball.

—Roddy White is over 1,000 yards on the season. So I guess Michael Vick did suck after all.

—Mike Rucker may have played his final home game as a Carolina Panther.

—Joe Mauer was an honorary horn-blower for the Vikings. The team could have used him at quarterback.

The Worst Spike in the History of Football

And guess what? It was executed by the Dolphins. What a shock. With 1:25 left in the first half Cleo Lemon completed a pass to David Martin that gave the Dolphins (still with one timeout) a first down at the Patriots 9-yard line. Lemon got his team lined up with 1:13 on the clock, but then he inexplicably spiked the ball. It made no sense. The Dolphins had a max of four more plays. Lemon could have called a running play and handed the ball off with 1:05 left on the clock, run it again with :40 seconds on the clock, run it yet again with :15 seconds on the clock, and then called timeout and thrown it on 4^th down. Without that spike the ball the Dolphins still had time for four plays and up to three of them could have been runs. But instead of calmly calling a play, Lemon decided to spike the ball and waste a precious a down. A down he could have used when his 4^th down pass fell incomplete.

Why the Common Opponents Tie-Breaker is Good

Next week the “record vs. common opponents” tie-breaker could lift the Titans into the playoffs and send the Browns home. For the longest time I hated this tie-breaker—it just seemed dumb and arbitrary. But lately I’ve come around to the belief that it’s a good thing—mostly because it’s one of the few places in sports were teams are graded on the same degree of difficulty. The Browns and Titans have five common opponents (Tennessee is 4-1, Cleveland is 3-2). Based on those five games, you can objectively conclude who is a better team over that five game span. In a way, it’s like the Browns, Titans, and those five teams are in a seven team division, and the Titans have a better division record. It’s just a shame that there’s no way a comparison can be made between the other 11 games on each team’s schedule.

Just When I thought Joe Gibbs Couldn’t Get Any Dumber, He Go and Does Something Like This…and Totally Redeems Himself

Before we get to Joe Gibbs’ redemption, can somebody explain why the Vikings system for green-lighting a replay challenge is to have their coach stare at the JumboTron. Shouldn’t there be a guy upstairs and some sort of electronic communication involved?

Anyway, last night Joe Gibbs proved that he is in fact familiar with the NFL rule book. Regardless of whether he was told about the 12^th man or noticed it himself, Gibbs deserves credit for making sure the play was challenged.

On the other hand, what made Joe Gibbs think it was a good idea to go for two while winning 22-0 in the FIRST HALF? With the league success rate around 42%, Gibbs decision to go for it was worth -.15 points. Way to go Joe.

Advances in Halfback Passes

At some point in the last few years halfback pass enthusiasts on NFL coaching staffs have had an epiphany. That epiphany is something along the lines of “You know what? Running backs lack accuracy when they have to throw 50-yard passes on the run. Maybe it would be best if we only used only used half-back passes in the red zone.” Clinton Portis’ touchdown pass last night was the 23^rd straight running back throw from inside the 30-yard line (that stat may be fabricated).

Onside Kick Defense Complaint O’ the Week

After the Vikings recovered a “surprise” onside kick in the 3^rd quarter Al Michaels said that the tactic has worked about three quarters of the time this season. That’s an insanely high success rate. But for some reason teams still send a front line of five guys and position them at the 45-yard line. Why not send up a 6^th guy? Why not move them forward to the 40-yard line? Why do teams find it so hard to break from the traditional but idiotic way of doing things? (And yes, I’ve mentioned this before—it’s in here somewhere)

Stat O’ the Week

15. The number of offensive plays it took Jacksonville to score their first 21 points.

European Football Goal O’ the Week

Some nifty footwork and passing ends with Mamadou Niang giving Marseille their only goal in a 1-0 win.

Also See…

Week 15 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Dec 17th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Eagles Beat Cowboys, Screw Redskins

The Eagles beat one division rival on Sunday, and with that victory came the bonus of screwing over another division rival. Because the Cowboys lost this week, their game against the Redskins on the last Sunday of the season will likely mean something. That should make the Redskins’ path to the post-season a whole lot tougher.

Bill Belichick Paranoia Moment O’ the Week

According to Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News two guys on the Eagles sideline had the assigned task of holding up towels the hide the team’s defensive signals.

Stuff You Don’t Want to Miss…

–There’s a reason Brian Westbrook took a knee at the 1-yard line. That reason is Jon Runyan. Only an offensive lineman could instill that kind of unselfishness.

–The news continues to get worse for the Giants. On Sunday the ice and wind collapsed their practice bubble. That wind would then proceed to wreak havoc on anything and everything in Giants Stadium.

–How bad did the Chargers beat the Lions? They beat them so bad that with 6:40 still left in the game the Chargers public address announcer told fans to buy playoff tickets because the victory over the Lions ensured the Chargers a home playoff game. So much for waiting until the win was official. The PA announcer obviously had no confidence in Jon Kitna’s ability to orchestrate a 40 point comeback.

–The Jaguars had a secret weapon in the form of a former Steelers backup who they were mining for information.

–After the game Wade Phillips was being very coy about Tony Romo’s hand injury. Well, it’s either that or Phillips just isn’t a very smart man.

–Gillette Stadium was an absolute mess before the game. In order to clear the snow in the stands workers were using a trough to send it down to the field from 32 rows up.

–JaMarcus Russell and Peyton Manning had met before Sunday’s game. Apparently Russell used to attend Manning’s football camps. Who knew?

Despite Best Efforts, Mike Nolan Can’t Lose the Game

I still cannot get over Mike Nolan’s decision to go for it on 4^th down with six minutes left in Saturday night’s game. It was hands down the worst coaching move in the NFL this season. There’s no defense for what Nolan did. If Joe Nedney had made the field goal (and he had made 27 straight from inside 50 yards) the game would have been over. It’s as simple as that. There wasn’t enough time left for the Bengals to get two scores. Going for it took a sure victory and turned it into a potential loss.

Now let’s assume going for it was the right play. Guess what? Nolan still handled the situation wrong. The 49ers had 3^rd and 2. If you know you’re going for it on 4^th down you should either throw it to the endzone (to take advantage of a short yardage defense) or run the ball (to potentially set up an easier 4^th down if you don’t get it). Nolan did neither.

Falcons Clinch the 2008 NFC South Title

The Bucs clinched the NFC South on Sunday, making it the 5th consecutive year that the last place team in the division has finished first the following season. This year’s last place finisher will be none other than the Atlanta Falcons. Do you hear that Falcons? 2008 is your year. Sure, the whole worst-to-first thing is just an arbitrary statistic that means nothing, but at this point it’s the best thing the Falcons have going for them.

Andre Davis: Master Punt-Downer

Most of the time a punt returner signals for a fair catch inside his own 15-yard-line, the opponent’s gunners will stop and stand next to him, hoping for the muffed kick that never comes. As they stand waiting there, the returner lets the ball land 10 yards behind him and it harmlessly bounces into the endzone. Andre Davis does no such thing. He is a man who knows his way around a pooch punt. During the Texans first punt on Thursday night Davis ignored Broncos return man Dre Bly, ran right past him, and caught the ball on the fly at the 7-yard-line.

Dominic Rhodes Earns Some of That Dough

The Raiders gave Dominic Rhodes $7.5 million this off-season. Until this week that money had bought them a total of 24 rushing yards, 1 catch, and 1 substance abuse suspension. Rhodes didn’t quite put up Adrian Peterson numbers on Sunday, but he did nearly triple his production for the whole season by rushing for 41 yards and catching two passes. Now he’s only about 60 yards behind Josh McCown for 3rd place on the team in rushing.

Referee Call O’ the Week

Larry Nemmers (who was officiating the Cowboys-Eagles game) began his explanation of why a replay challenge was being upheld by saying “In the National Football League, a receiver must…” Thanks Larry. It’s good that you’re not getting confused by Canadian Football League rules.

Stat O’ the Week.

0.0 Chris Redman’s quarterback rating on Sunday. I sure hope D.J. Shockley’s knee is healing well.

European Goal O’ the Week

Fernando Torres’ killer crossover helps put Liverpool through to the Champions League round of 16

Also see…

Week 14 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Dec 10th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Remember all the hubbub surrounding Gate D at Giants stadium? After a New York Times article revealed that during halftime of Jets games men gather to chant and harass women into showing their breasts, the city promised to put a stop to it. Well, it turns out that publicizing publicizing potential nudity in the country’s most famous newspaper wasn’t a good idea. During halftime of Sunday’s game Gate D had record crowds as all the fans from gates A,B, and C decided to show up in the hope of sneaking a peak at some Jet fan boob. They didn’t get what they were looking for. The interesting part is that the hopelessness of asking women to show their breasts is pretty similar to the hopelessness of being a Jets fan.

Onward with the report…

Don’t Miss…

…Terence Newman sticking it to Jon Kitna. After the Cowboys came from behind to beat the Lions, Newman added insult to injury by proclaiming that God wanted the Cowboys to win. “Yeah, I mean, God definitely is on our side,”Newman said. “They talk about God watching us at Texas Stadium, but he was in Detroit today, too, watching his Cowboys play.”

…Bart Scott showing off his toughness. Last week he broke a bone in his hand, but he returned to the field and lead the Ravens in tackles last night. How did Scott deal with the injury? “Just give me some duct tape” he said.

…Jon Gruden basically admitting that he lied to everyone about Jeff Garcia’s back injury. Said Gruden, “I have done the best I can to not let the whole world know what we’re doing.” I blame Bill Belichick’s for all this.

…The Dolphins staying up late on Saturday night in order to watch the Floyd Mayweather fight. Hey, if you’re gonna lose, you might as well have some fun the night before.

…The fightin’ words coming from the Titans. Despite losing to the Chargers the Titans still think they’re the better team. Bo Scaife articulates: “They think they are a little better than they are, especially on defense. I am not trying to give them any bulletin board material or anything like that, but I think they think they are better than they are.

…How bad it is to be a 49ers fan? There’s actually optimism surrounding Shaun Hill, a guy who’s so mediocre you could have a serious debate about whether or not he’s one of the five best quarterbacks to play for the University of Maryland this decade.

…Bryant Young’s very quiet quasi-retirement announcement.

Brett Favre Runs Up the Score Like a Gentlemen

I know there hasn’t been a pattern of behavior like with the Patriots, but nobody has said word about Brett Favre throwing the ball on 2nd down with four minutes left in the game and a 24 point lead. If that was Tom Brady, I guarantee things would be different. I guess the Raiders can’t be upset—they can only feel honored that Brett Favre gave them the pleasure of watching him throw another touchdown pass.

The Unstoppability of Play-Action Fakes

The lack of discipline displayed by NFL players on play-action fakes is simply astounding. In the final minute of the Detroit-Dallas game the Cowboys had the ball on the Detroit 16-yard-line with 20 seconds left and no timeouts. A running play that didn’t get the ball into the end-zone would have ended the game. There was zero chance the Cowboys were going to run the ball. Nevertheless, Romo faked a draw to Marion Barber, and the fake froze the linebackers just long enough for Romo to slip the game winning touchdown pass through to Jason Witten.

Anthony Smith had an even worse gaffe for the Steelers. On Randy Moss’ first quarter touchdown pass Smith came charging towards the line of scrimmage like it was 4th and 1. At that point the Steelers front seven was easily handling the Patriots rushing attack (on those rare occasion Tom Brady handed off). There was absolutely no reason for Smith to be within 30 yards of the line of scrimmage.

You know why the Colts and the Patriots are the two of the best teams in the NFL? Because they’re two of the best at not biting on play-action fakes. Play-action has become such a big part of the game and coaches would be wise to do a better job of coaching their players on how to deal with it.

Joe Gibbs is Learning

Last week the Redskins ran the ball on first down five straight times while protecting a 4th quarter lead. On those five predictable carries Clinton Portis gained a total of 11 yards, and the ensuing punts gave the Bills an opportunity to win the game with three 4th quarter field goals. That ultra-conservative play calling was nothing new—it had already hurt the Redskins in numerous come-from-ahead losses and near losses.

This week Joe Gibbs showed he may have learned his lesson. When the Redskins took over late in the 4th with a 4 point lead, the offense threw the ball on its first two first down plays. Those plays netted 29 yards and opened things up for Portis to gain 5 yards on the first down run that followed. That put the Redskins into a much more manageable 3rd down, and the drive ultimately concluded with a game icing touchdown. Gibbs didn’t completely atone for his performance in the Buffalo game, but for one day he proved to not be as senile as people think.

The Patriots Go Marching On

I’m not sure if I was watching a different game than the rest of the national media, but I did not see a dominating “statement” game from the Patriots. What I saw was a game in which the Pats were completely dominated in the first half.

In the first 30 minutes the Patriots had 3 three-and-outs and the Steelers defense had Tom Brady misfiring. Even with an extremely lucky fluke turnover and an Anthony Smith gift-touchdown to Randy Moss, the Patriots only had a four point lead at halftime. At that point nobody could argue that the Steelers weren’t the better team. They had scored on three of their four first half possessions. The Patriots scored on three of six. The game only changed with Vince Wilfork’s sack on the Steelers first 2nd half possession. That killed a potential go ahead drive and set the stage for Anthony Smith’s second gift to the Patriots.

I don’t want to play the “if these two plays didn’t happen” game, but if you take away the two big Anthony Smith mistakes it would have been a completely different game. Although the Patriots looked dominant in the 4th quarter, that was a mirage. Once the Pats made their goal line stand (thanks to some inexplicable play calling) the Steelers basically took it down a notch, playing a more straight up defense so they wouldn’t show the Pats any blitzes or schemes that could be used in a future meeting. Thus concludes the “trying to find flaws in the Patriots” rant of the week.

Ok, now let’s get back to that inexplicable play calling. A team should never, ever, ever, ever throw a fade from inside the 2-yard line unless it’s the final minute and they have no timeouts. How could a jump ball be better than running up the middle for a yard? It doesn’t make any sense, especially when Santonio Holmes was giving up two inches to Rodney Harrison. The 4th down play call was nearly as bad. Once the backfield cleared out and Ward came in motion, the defense knew who was getting the ball, where he was getting it, and when he was going to get it. That’s generally not a good thing for an offense.

Stat O’ the Week

3. The number of defensive tackles on the Vikings who had interceptions on Sunday. (Statistic submitted by Trent Dilfer)

European Football Goal O’ the Week

Jump forward to the 1:50 mark and watch Sully Muntari of Portsmouth go between a defender’s legs and blast one in from 30 yards out

Also see…

Week 13 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Dec 3rd 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

One NFL Rule Change That Must Be Made

The key moment in the Cowboys’ victory over the Packers was the questionable 42-yard pass interference penalty on Tramon Williams. It was play involving minimal contact, a tangle of feet, and an offensive player falling to the ground. Basically, it was the kind of play where a defensive player should not be penalized 40 yards. Unfortunately, there is no middle ground for officials. On that play the back judge was forced to make an all or nothing call, and the call he made was “all.”

The solution is to let officials call illegal contact even after the ball is in the air. The league thinks it’s making it easier for officials with distinct illegal contact and pass interference rules, but in reality that just takes away an official’s ability to use his judgment. If a defensive back’s actions are not severe or intentional, let the officials penalize him accordingly with a 5 or 10 yard automatic first down penalty. Game changing 50-yard pass interference calls are the bane of NFL offciating, and Roger Goodell and Mike Pereira need to do something about them.

Now let’s move on to the rest of the week 13 deliciousness…

Don’t Miss…

…Jason Taylor not thinking too highly of the Jets. Said a sarcastically bitter Taylor, “They stink, too. They beat us, and they’ll go home happy and their fans will be happy. They’ve got three wins this year. Good for them.”

…Albert Haynesworth’s thoughts on the Texans’ quarterbacks. It’s safe to say he’s a Sage Rosenfels man who thinks Matt Schaub might be a little overpaid.

…The Redskins sticking by their coach despite his gaffe. Well, most of them anyway. The feelings of one anonymous veteran were “Come on man, this is the NFL. What coach don’t know the rules?”

…The Jaguars’ Paul Spicer expressing his displeasure with the officiating in the Colts-Jaguars game. The money quote: “We are in Indianapolis and Polian gave (the referees) a little extra in the check.”

…The big boo-boo Mike Holmgren made at the end of his team’s win. At least he didn’t pull a Gibbs.

…All the talk about Bobby Petrino’s fiery halftime speech. Apparently it was a real humdinger.

…The Panthers first quarter hook-and-ladder play (:45). Nice move from Jon Fox to use something like that early in a game.

…Jeff Fisher foretelling Rob Bironas’ future.

…Tarvaris Jackson getting a lot better.

Coaches Love Those Five Yard Penalties

NFL coaches will almost always blindly accept five yard penalties, even on incomplete passes or short running plays. Yeah, penalties on the offense sound good for a defense, but a lot of the time accepting them is an idiotic way to give the offense one more play. Declining these kinds of penalties might cost a defense a two or three yards, but it also means the offense has one less chance to get a first down, one less chance to get a big play, and even one less chance to score a touchdown. The key to not giving up points is to keep an offense off the field. Not giving them extra plays is a good way to do that.

Panthers coach Jon Fox gets the gold star this week for showing he knows how to decline a penalty. Early in the third quarter the 49ers were called for illegal motion on a 3-yard run by Frank Gore on 2nd and 10. Fox wisely chose to take the 3rd and 7 instead of the 2nd and 15. Sounds crazy, right? The idea putting a team in 3rd and long instead of giving them two plays to get a 1st down is foreign to most NFL coaches. Not to Fox, the new penalty declining master.

Why Bobby Petrino Did the Right Thing

In the aftermath of the Falcons loss Bobby Petrino has gotten a lot of criticism for deciding to go for two when the Falcons scored to make it 21-9 with 12 minutes left in the game. Those people are idiots. It was the right move.

Down 21-3, the Falcons knew they had to get to 21 points (with two touchdowns, a two pointer, and a field goal) to tie and win the game. Since Petrino knew he needed a two point conversion, why not go for it early. Far too often coaches who know they need a two-pointer wait until the last minute to go for it. Then when they miss the conversion with 20 seconds left in the game, there’s nothing they can do. The game is over. By going for it early Petrino left himself enough time to execute an alternate plan to get to 21 points (more downfield throws, agressive blizting, onside kicks) if the Falcons didn’t convert the two point attempt. It’s amazing that people will criticize Petrino, but when a coach lets the clock run down and leaves himself with an all-or-nothing two point conversion in the final 30 seconds, he’s never criticized for ignoring the consequences of missing the conversion.

That’s Why You Bring it Out

Aundrae Allison fielded a 2nd quarter kickoff three yards deep in his endzone. The fear of getting stopped at the 18-yard line would induce most players to just take a knee. Not Allison. He decided to take his chances and bring it out. Fifteen seconds later he was in the other endzone.

It’s inexplicable that any player (or coach) would give up the chance to make a big play by taking a touchback. Just bring it out. Getting stopped shy of the 20 is not the end of the world.

So Long David Akers

It’s always a little sad when a player who’s been a constant fixture in the NFL undergoes a rapid decline that quickly leaves him jobless. The next man to fit this description could be David Akers. In his first five years as the Eagles starter Akers made 86% of his kicks. Over the last three seasons he has made just 76%, and the 48-yarder Akers missed on Sunday was the 5th straight he’s missed from over 40 yards. So before Akers disappears from fantasy football rosters around the world, take a moment and remember the things that made him one of the seven most memorable kickers of the decade.

Stat O’ the Week

22. Consecutive games in which the Bills did not commit a defensive pass interference penalty until they got flagged for one against the Redskins.

European Football Goal O’ the Week

Maxi Pereira of Benfica vs AC Milan

Also see…

Week 12 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Nov 26th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

A.J. Feeley….yes…yes…yes…noooo!!! And the Patriots are still undefeated—but at least I’m slightly less angry about it. Now let’s move onto the good stuff.

Deion vs. Tom Jackson—NFL Gameday vs. NFL Primetime

In the good old days of NFL Primetime, whenever a Hail Mary went up in the air Tom Jackson and Chris Berman would yell their refrain of “Knock it down!!.” On NFL Gameday last night Deion Sanders criticized the 49ers defenders who allowed Larry Fitzgerald to catch a Hail Mary by saying they should have caught the ball instead of trying to knock it down. Sorry Deion–I know you would have gone for the interception there (because int=$$$), but the right play is to knock it down.

Stephen Jackson Wants the Music Fixed

One reason for the Rams struggles? They’re not playing good music in the Edward Jones Dome. Stephen Jackson wants some hip hop. Uh, Stephen…you’re playing in front of a bunch of rich midwesterners. The closest you’ll get to hip hop is a black country singer.

Don’t Miss…

…The relationship between Roy Williams and Mike Martz getting a little bit icy

…How the Jets unusual alignment on their first play from scrimmage ruined a bunch of Cowboy’s streaks.

…Albert Haynesworth being too modest.

…Tommy Harris’ ability to see the future.

…What happens when a backup center has to snap the ball to a backup quarterback in a pressure situation.

…The officials screwing the Panthers by not granting them a timeout.

…Evidence for why you shouldn’t trust Owen Daniels about replay challenges.

…The potential end of the J.P. Losman era.

…Adrian Peterson will be back next week. The world is saved.

The Rams Will Begin Teaching a Clinic on How to Blow Games

The Rams had 1st and goal from the 4-yard line with a minute left. They had two timeouts. That’s enough time to pound Stephen Jackson four straight times. If his Nike commercials are any indication, Jackson would never let himself be denied those four yards. Instead, the Rams threw on first and second down, and they only ran Jackson on third down. He came up just short, and on 4th down Gus Frerotte did what Gus Frerrote does.

Shrewd Moves of the Week

Mike Shanahan

Conventional wisdom says the option doesn’t work in the NFL. The defensive ends and linebackers are just too fast. That’s true, but there is one condition—the defense has to be prepared to face the option. On Sunday Mike Shanahan ran some options with Jay Cutler and they took the Bears defense by surprise, particularly on Andre Hall’s 16 yard touchdown run. It’s nice to see that Shanahan has finally realized John Elway isn’t his quarterback.

Lovie Smith

Smith got creative as Devin Hester awaited a potentially game tying punt return late in the 4th quarter. Because it was 4th and 17 and the Bears didn’t have to worry about any kind of fakes, Smith sent a four man wall back to block for Hester. The Broncos responded by calling timeout and the whole thing fizzled, but it was some nice outside the box thinking from Lovie.

Mike McCarthy

Most teams play too conservative when they cling to a lead late in the 4th quarter. Joe Gibbs is the reigning expert on this subject. On Thursday McCarthy abandoned conservatism to stick with what had been working all day. After taking over with 6 minutes left, the Packers threw the ball on four of their first five plays. That aggressiveness paved the way for their game clinching field goal.

(Also, I don’t want to forget to mention that Joe Gibbs finally made a good decision to go for it on 4th and 1 in the redzone. The Skins didn’t get the first down, but at least Gibbs made the right move. Same for Herm Edwards with his decision to go for it on 4th an 1 late in the Chiefs loss.)

Bonehead Moves of the Week

Rod Marinelli

You know what I’m thankful for, getting a chance to watch Rod Marinelli continually botch his two point conversion decisions. On two different occasions in the 4th quarter Marinelli had an offside penalty enforced on the kickoff instead of attempting a two point conversion from half the regular distance. Because the Lions had trailed by 22, there was about a 98.3% chance they would eventually need a two point conversion.

To briefly go mathematical, teams convert a two pointer less than 50% of the time, and so the expected value of going for two is significantly less than 1.00 points. That’s why teams always kick. But when a team gets to try from the one-yard line the percentage jumps to over 50% and the expected value jumps to over 1 point. When that happens, teams should be going for two all the time, and they should especially be going for two if they know at some point they’ll need a two pointer to tie the game.

Andy Reid

Andy Reid coached one the best games of the year, but he made a mistake in the final minute. When the Patriots lined up to kick the ball back to the Eagles, Reid elected to set up a return instead of going after the kick. At that point blocking the kick was their only chance because it was obvious the Patriots would kick the ball out of bounds, or kick a high, short, unreturnable kick. Brian Westbrook could get nothing on the return and like a coke fiend crashing after a long night, the Eagles magical ride was over.

Mike Nolan

Before Vernon Davis’ first quarter touchdown catch, the 49ers had gone 11 quarters without reaching the endzone. You would think that when they had 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line early in the 2nd quarter they would be thinking about getting seven (translation: two runs up the middle). Instead Trent Dilfer threw incomplete on 3rd down and Nolan sent out the field goal unit on 4th down. Who knows? If Nolan didn’t make these kinds of decisions the 49ers could be as good as 4-7.

Ravens and Chargers Demonstrate Pooch Punt Ineptitude

Every week I explain why taking delay of game penalties to help a pooch punt is stupid. Well, on Sunday the Ravens were dumb enough to take one of these penalties, and the Chargers were dumb enough to decline it. I beg you Norv Turner—please stop doing these things.

Catch O’ the Week

Striped bass, and Bernard Berrian’s momentum defying game tying catch. The way in which Berrian was able to stop and turn his body to adjust to the ball was remarkable. If he had reacted a second later, turned his body at a slightly different angle, had his fingers in slightly different positions, or not made sure to get his knee down, it would have been no catch. Grossman make a poor throw and the adjustment Berrian made was amazing.

Stat O’ the Week

11. The number of quarters the Panthers have played at home without scoring a touchdown.

European Football Goal O’ the Week

Martin Petrov gives Manchester City the lead against Reading

Also see…

Week 11 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Nov 19th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Week 11 is in the books and there’s one thought I can’t get out of my head: What would happen if Rex Grossman played for the 49ers? Think about that one for a second. Ok, now let’s move onto the good stuff.

Don’t Miss…

…The verbal sparring between John Kitna and Michael Strahan.

…Tony Romo injuring his coach with a high five.

…The Panthers giving up a ridiculous 94-yard TD return on a pooch punt because they only had 10 guys on the field.

…Adrian Peterson taking the next step in his recovery…running underwater.

…Roy Williams arbitrarily taking the blame for the Lions loss.

…George H.W. Bush motivating the Texans.

…Lovie Smith not being happy that Ron Turner forgot about Cedric Benson.

…The Baltimore Sun’s account of the Phil Dawson field goal shadiness.

…Brian Westbrook: The Eagles’ true most valuable player.

…Lane Kiffin denying that JaMarcus Russell will start on Dec. 2nd.

Tony Dungy Has Faith…But Not in His Defense

The most interesting coaching predicament on Sunday fell to Tony Dungy. With the score tied at 10 the Colts had 4th and 1 from the Chiefs 3-yard line with under two minutes left in the game. Rather than kick a field goal and trust his defense to stop the Chiefs, Dungy went for it so he could bleed the rest of the clock. Fortunately for Dungy, the move ended up paying off—the Colts got the first down and only three seconds remained on the clock when the Chiefs got the ball back. Brodie Croyle better remember this game—Dungy going for it because he feared what Croyle would do is probably going to be the highlight of young Brodie’s NFL career.

Idea #2,493 For Stopping the Patriots

What about playing a physical bump-and-run man-to-man defense with two safeties deep and a linebacker in the middle of the field? It’s worth a shot. On Sunday night the Bills almost exclusively dropped back into a zone or ran a zone blitz. That’s not going to get it done. Brady and Patriots offensive line are just too good for that. It was like taking candy from a really really weak baby. When the Bills defense did everything right they still gave up and easy 7-yard gain underneath.

Most teams are terrified to play man-to-man (because of screen passes, quarterback scrambles, double moves etc.), but there’s no chance of stopping the Pats with a zone. At least playing bump-and-run and man-to-man can throw off the Pats timing. It can prevent Brady from knowing who will be open before the ball is even snapped. It can take away the quick throws and can get the Pats offense out of rhythm. It might just be crazy enough to work.

Brian Billick is Not Very Pleased

The Ravens coach was not too gracious in his post game comments about Phil Dawson’s game tying field goal. Apparently the fact that the refs got the call right didn’t matter to Billick. He’s a firm believer that when a man thinks he’s won a football game, he gosh darn deserves to win that game. On the other hand I am willing to forgive Billick for being a bit crass—If I was 4-5 and my season rested in the hands of Kyle Boller, I would want any win I can get.

And Byron Leftwich Takes an Insurmountable Lead…

…in the contest to be the Falcons most atrocious quarterback!! Even though Joey Heisman led the team to two straight wins, Bobby Petrino decided to start Byron Leftwich. All it took was zero points and five turnovers for Petrino to realize that decision might have been a mistake. Here’s my advice for Petrino. Your team sucks. Next time you win two games in a row, stick with whatever you’re doing. Don’t try and win “better.” Take any win you can get.

The 49ers Ineptitude Is Scrambling Mike Nolan’s Brain

Every Sunday night I sit down and write a bunch of stuff criticizing the poor decision making of various NFL coaches. Usually it comes easy to me, but for the last hour I haven’t been able to figure out how to put into words the idiocy of Mike Nolan’s 4th quarter decisions. Now I’m finally ready to give it a try.

With under two minutes left in the game the 49ers held all three timeouts, trailed by 7, and had 4th and 10 from the Rams 29-yard-line. The key here is “trailed by 7.” The 49ers needed a touchdown. For some reason (most likely to pad Joe Nedney’s stats) Nolan decided to kick a difficult field goal.

Can you remember the last time a team trailed by 7 in the last two minutes and kicked a field goal? It wasn’t even like is was 4th and 29. It was only 4th and 10. Going for it was a no-brainer. Even if they missed, the 49ers still had enough timeouts to force a three and out and get the ball back with about 1:30 on the clock.

Ok, now lets move on. Nolan got the three points. The next move is too kick it deep, force a three and out, and get the ball back in good field position, right? Wrong. Nolan attempted an onside kick, a move that can’t be described as anything other than insane.

If you’re going to gamble with an onside kick, why would you not gamble on a much easier 4th and 10? It’s like Nolan kicked a field goal just so he could get a crack at the 49ers secret weapon, the onside kick. Even if the 49ers recovered they would have been 30 yards behind where they were on 4th down. Nolan made his decisions like the team had a better chance to recover an onside kick than convert a 4th and 10.

At the very least kicking it deep would have given the 49ers a chance if they got a three and out. Instead, when the 49ers failed to recover the onside kick the game was basically over. Even though they forced a three and out, Trent Dilfer was left with 90 yards,1:28 on the clock, and no timeouts. That’s not a good scenario.

Bonehead Moves of the Week

Eric Mangini/Norv Turner/Joe Gibbs/Brad Childress

Coaches everywhere went kick happy in Week 11. With eight seconds left in the first half the Jets had 3rd and goal from the Steelers 1-yard line. Eric Mangini didn’t even attempt to run another play. He was content to take the 3 points. Would Bill Belichick have ever made that move? Definitely not.

Early in the second half the Chargers trailed by 7 and had 4th and 2 from the Jags 39. Norv Turner decided to punt, and Mike Scifres boomed a 26-yard kick. It took Jacksonville just 5 plays to go 88 yard for a touchdown. At this point Norv Turner should just pull a George Costanza and do the opposite of every one of his impulses.

With two minutes left in the game the Vikings led by 7 and had 4th and 1 from the Raiders 38. A first down would have ended the game. Instead Vikings coach Brad Childress decided to kick, and Chris Kluwe boomed a 21-yard punt. Now brace yourself for some math that proves Childress’ idiocy.

A first down would have won the game—so I’m going to say the Vikings had a 60% chance of winning with a first down, and then a 75% chance of stopping the Raiders if they failed to get the one yard. That’s a 90% chance of winning (60% + (75% of 40%)). After the punt (with those precious 21 yards), I’m going to say the Viking had about an 80% chance of stopping the Raiders. There you go Brad Childress. By punting you increased your team’s chances of losing by 10%. Hooray.

Finally, I’d like to welcome back Joe Gibbs to the “Bonehead Moves of the Week.” Early in the second quarter the Redskins had 4th and 1 from the Dallas 32-yard line. That 49-yard field goal is a tough kick. Much tougher than running the ball for one yard. But Joe Gibbs loves himself some Shaun Suisham. He sent his kicker out, and Suisham promptly hooked the kick wide left.

Quote O’ the Week

“We have to evaluate the video from today and see who gives us the best opportunity as a team to win the game”—Bobby Petrino, on who will start next week. Something tells me it will be Joey Harrington.

Catch O’ the Week

The always delicious pink salmon. As for the action of the football field, Week 11 had its share of spectacular grabs. There was Drew Carter picking the ball off the back of Al Harris, Santana Moss showing off his right hand, Calvin Johnson outjumping the Giants secondary (notice the un-Randy Moss-like way in which he doesn’t push off), and Ronald Curry making a catch that was unbelievable, amazing, remarkable, and 99%-luck.

Stat O’ the Week

0-3. The Steelers record outside the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio

European Goal of the Week

Omer Golan scores in the 92th minute to give Israel a 2-1 victory over Russia in Saturday’s Euro 2008 qualifier. The win quieted conspiracy theorists who thought Israel would hand the match to Russia, and it kept alive England’s qualifying hopes.

Also See…

Week 10 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Nov 12th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Week 10 is in the books. The Dolphins are alone at the bottom, the Patriots remain alone at the top, and Adam Viniateri is just plain alone. Now let’s get to the good stuff.

Don’t Miss…

…Steve McNair basically admitting the team should be starting Kyle Boller.

…How a referee helped the Falcons score their game winning touchdown.

…Jesse Chatman’s nerves causing him to lose his lunch.

…The Dolphins talking an excessive amount of trash for an 0-8 team.

…DeAngelo Hall’s touchback-inducing strip of Steve Smith. (:30 mark)

…Tony Dungy taking responsibility for wasting a timeout his team would later need. In addition, Dungy might have iced his own kicker. It’s nice when coaches admit to doing something inexplicable and idiotic.

…the Vikings terrible 4th down play-calling/decision making.

…Justin Gage’s endzone juggling act.

…How the Broncos purged themselves of their sins before the game.

…Numerous Browns taking the blame for the loss. Even Josh Cribbs. I’m not quite sure I would blame him.

…The official call for Brian Billick’s head.

…The story behind the Bears game winning touchdown pass. And guess what? Warren Sapp thinks he was held on the play

…Why the Lions didn’t try to run the ball. According to Rod Marinelli, “We liked our matchups outside.” coach Rod Marinelli said.

And so, 8 Hours After the Steelers Season Ended, it Began Again

The Steelers season was effectively over after they beat the Browns. With a three game lead in the division and little chance of passing the AFC’s top two teams, it looked like the Steelers would be on cruise control for the next seven weeks. But then Adam Vinatieri missed a chip shot and suddenly the Steelers became the #2 team in the AFC. They still have to play at New England and the Colts toughest remaining road game is against the Falcons—so it will be hard for them to hold onto the #2 spot—but at least now the last two months of the season will be interesting.

The same thing might not be able to be said for the Cowboys. It’s now clear that no NFC defense can stop them and no NFC offense can outscore them. When they beat the Packers the week after Thanksgiving the Cowboys will have five weeks to start preparing for their AFC Super Bowl foe (and maybe some potential NFC championship game opponents.)

Shrewd Moves of the Week

Joe Gibbs/Gregg Williams

It’s something you almost never see teams do, but the Redskins coaching staff made the right move when they instructed their defense to let the Eagles score a touchdown in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. If they wanted, the Eagles could have kneeled on the ball, kicked a field goal, and left the Redskins with less than 30 seconds and no timeouts to score the game winning touchdown. Instead, the Redskins defense wisely let Brian Westbrook run right through them and that gave their offense a full two minutes to engineer a game tying touchdown drive. It didn’t pay off, but Gibbs and Williams made the right move. It almost makes up for the inexplicable decision to go for a two point conversion in the first half.

Tony Dungy

Down 23-7 the Colts had 4th and 2 from the Chargers 46 on their first 2nd half possession. There was no hesitation from Dungy—he knew the Colts had to go for it, and Manning ended up completing a first down pass to Aaron Moorehead. The drive was later wiped out by a Manning interception, but that move set the tone for the Colts’ 2nd half dominance.

Bonehead Moves of the Week

Tom Coughlin

The Giants’ coach faced a similar decision to that of Dungy—on his team’s first second half possession they faced 4th and 2 from the Cowboys 45. Although the Giants were in a tie game (instead of trailing by 16), going for it was still a no-brainer. The Cowboys hadn’t been able to stop Brandon Jacobs or the Giants passing game. However, instead of going for it Coughlin punted, and the Cowboys easily marched 86 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Reggie Wayne

What was Reggie Wayne doing on Antonio Cromartie’s spectacular one-handed interception (1:40)? Wayne obviously didn’t think Cromartie was going to be able to get the football and so he just stood there instead of try to chase Cromartie down. The Chargers cornerback easily made the interception, and because Wayne was just standing there, Cromartie was handed an easy 20 yard return.

This Explains so Much

Apparently David Carr has suffered two concussions this season. The first one (which was unreported) occurred earlier this month in New Orleans. Carr stayed in the game and ending up leading the Panthers on a game-winning field goal drive. So basically, the empirical evidence points to the fact that Carr plays better when his brains are scrambled. Interesting.

Tony Romo is Above the Law

Am I the only one who noticed that Tony Romo was clearly in front of the line of scrimmage on his first quarter touchdown pass to Tony Curtis. Where’s the challenge flag Tom Coughlin?

Joe Jurevicius’ Hands Are Too Good

I don’t know if Joe Jurevicius saw Troy Polamalu coming on the Browns final offensive play, but at some point during the crushing hit it would have been smart for Jurevicius to drop the ball. That would have given the Browns one more offensive play, and if they could have gained more than the three yards Jurevicius’ catch netted them, Phil Dawson’s field goal might have landed on the other side of the crossbar.

Catch of the Week

Mahi Mahi, and Reggie Brown’s much-more-difficult-than-it-looked 4th quarter grab against the Redskins. In the whole scheme of things, that was probably a bigger play than Brian Westbrook’s go-ahead touchdown catch.

Stat O’ the Week

220. The difference in rushing yards for the Titans between their week 1 win over the Jags and last Sunday’s loss.

European Football Goal of the Week

Tarik Sektioui of FC Porto vs. Marseillle

Also See…

Week 9 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Nov 5th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Don’t Miss…

…The real key to the Packers victory over the Chiefs—Aaron Rodgers and his functioning headset.

…The real key to the Saints turning their season around—not eating cheese.

…Shaun Rogers’ stiff arm (2:35 mark) on Selvin Young at the end of his interception return. It was like a giant throwing down a little kid.

…CBS taking the blame for the Colts’ mysterious crowd noise sounds.

…The Chiefs defense in disbelief that Brett Favre kept shredding them. Jarrad Page’s take? “He made some good pump fakes.”

…All the help Adrian Peterson had yesterday.

…Priest Holmes is about the be the center of a lot of media attention.

…The Vikings fake toss/reverse kickoff return (:30 mark). Is there some reason teams don’t try this kind of thing more often? It almost always works.

…TwoFalcons veterans got ready for this week by going far away from the team both mentally and physically. Jimmy Carter later cheered them on.

Jason Elam Owes Antonio Cromartie Big Time

When Jeff Reed attempted a 65-yard field two weeks ago in Denver it may have been the last time Jason Elam’s 63-yard field goal record will ever be in jeopardy (well, maybe except for Sebastian Janikowski). Antonio Cromartie (and Ed Reed before him) have made it clear that it’s too risky to attempt a field goal that could come up short—those kicks are just too easy to return for touchdowns. The kicking team has 11 guys on the field who run like Bengie Molina and none of them are prepared to chase around a frenetic defensive back. If you look at the video of Cromartie’s return all of the Vikings lineman are just standing around and one of them even has his hands raised in an “it’s good” sign. Uh, it’s definitely not good. Unless 60-yarders start becoming routine, Elam’s record is going to be safe for a long time.

Another Bill Belichick Lesson on How to Be Bland, Insincere, and Hackneyed

Here is what the Patriots coach had to say after his team’s win:

“It was a real good win for our football team. I was really proud of the way the guys played. We played 60 minutes, which you have to do against the Colts. They’re tough. They make you work for everything. But I thought our guys stepped up and made some big plays, especially in the second half and 4th quarter when we needed to, and all the credit has got to go to the players. They worked hard for this one—had a good week of practice, and they played hard today, and just made a few more plays than the Colts did.”

Say it’s a good win–check. Say you’re proud of your team—check. Use the phrase “60 minutes”—check. Give credit to your opponent—check. Mention “big plays”–check. Give credit to your players—check. Talk about how practicing hard is important—check. The only thing Belichick forgot was to mention how “all 53 guys on the roster” contributed to the win.

Shrewd Moves of the Week

Mike Holmgren

It didn’t work out, but Holmgren made the right decision when he went for it on 4th and 1 from the Browns 44-yard line early in overtime. A first down likely would have given Josh Brown a chance to win the game, and the way the Seahawks defense was playing they probably wouldn’t have stopped the Browns even if they pinned them deep. Holmgren might face some criticism for the move, but going for it was the smart and aggressive thing to do.

Joe Gibbs

I didn’t even know Gibbs knew what onside kicks were, but his decision to try one while trailing 17-6 was quite shrewd. After an easy recovery the Redskins went down the field and added another field goal.

By the way, on the onside kick the Jets carelessly had the usual alignment of five players standing at the 45-yard line. With mid-game onside kicks now en vogue in the NFL shouldn’t teams be making a bigger effort to defend them? Would it really hurt their kick returns that much to bump their front line up the 40-yard line or add a 6th or 7th guy? There is not good risk-benefit analysis going on.

Bonehead Moves of the Week

Tony Dungy

There wasn’t one specific bad decision Dungy made, but right from the start he seemed to be playing not to lose (by settling for field goals) instead of playing to win (by going for touchdowns). On the Colts 2nd drive they had 3rd and goal from the Pats 3-yard line. They should have ran the ball up the middle with the intention of running it again on 4th down—the Colts expected a shootout and they needed 7. Instead, Manning threw an incomplete pass and the Colts settled for a field goal.

Then on their next drive the Colts had first and goal from the 6-yard line. Dungy and Manning should have been thinking about four straight runs for a touchdown. Instead Manning threw an incompletion on first down and the Colts ended up settling for another short field goal.

Dick Jauron

Don’t kick field goals on 4th and short in the red zone!! It’s that simple. The Bills had 4th and 1 from the Cincy 11-yard line and Jauron sent out the field goal team. He ended up with three points instead of seven, and the Bills gave up 19 yard of field position when the Bengals got the ball at the 30 after the ensuing kickoff.

Nonsensical Penalty of the Week

Late in the first half Packers defensive back Atari Bigby was flagged for a very questionable pass interference call in the back of the endzone. On the play Chiefs receiver Samie Parker actually caught the ball…a good two yards out of the back of the endzone (and the interference didn’t affect Parker not being in bounds). Now here’s my question—doesn’t the fact that Parker caught the ball out of bounds mean that the pass was uncatchable? Parker physically caught it, but the pass was still incomplete. Is that not concrete evidence the ball was uncatchable?

Intentionally Taking Penalties is Bad

A few weeks ago I vowed to call out any coach who intentionally takes a delay of game penalty in order to “give their punter more room” for a pooch punt. (This is idiotic because the key to downing the ball inside the five isn’t the punt, it’s getting your gunners down the field—and being closer to the endzone is generally better for that.) Along those lines, I’d like to point my finger at Joe Gibbs for taking a delay of game penalty at the Jets 42. Derrick Frost proceeded to shank a 27-yard punt, giving the Jets the ball at the 20-yard line. Eric Mangini tipped his cap and said “thanks for the five yards.”

It’s an Eagles Celebration!!

I don’t know who’s in charge of the Lincoln Field pyrotechnics, but it might have been a good idea for them to hold off on the fireworks when the Eagles scored their final touchdown. Not only did cutting the Cowboys lead to 38-17 seem like an inopportune time to celebrate, but because there were only about 70 people left in the stadium the fireworks were extremely (and hilariously) loud. I know that fireworks prices are enticingly low these days, but next time the Eagles might just want save them for another week.

Stat O’ the Week

22. The number of kickoffs that have been returned for touchdowns this season. That’s a lot.

European Football Goal of the Week

Seydou Keita gives Sevilla the lead in Saturday’s win over Real Madrid

Also See…

Week 8 Monday Afternoon TPS Report

Oct 29th 2007ericjhoroTPS Report & NFL

Don’t Miss…

…Cedric Benson’s anger about all the criticism he’s getting. How angry is he? Here’s how he responded to people saying he needs more of a burst: “Do I need to run with more of a burst? No. And [expletive] them.”

…The story behind the opening kickoff of the second half in the Vikings-Eagles game. In case you missed it, here’s what happened according to the NFL.com play-by-play. “D.Akers kicks 69 yards from PHI 30 to MIN 1. 28-A.Peterson ran ob at MIN 1 for no gain.” Sounds a little strange, right? Apparently Brad Childress spends too much time working on inducing illegal procedure penalties on kickoffs, and not enough time on pass defense.

…The pure joy that’s overcoming J.P. Losman and Lee Evans now that they can play catch again. Here are some words from Losman: “Lee and I have a certain type of chemistry, a certain type of togetherness. It’s very, very special, especially when it happens with Lee. We’re pretty darn close, probably as close as players get in this league with each other. So it’s extra special that he helped me out on that play.” It sounds to me like they might be more than just teammates.

…The 49ers offensive coordinator feeling bad for his players. If that sounds a little strange to you….well…it is strange. It’s also definitely not a good sign for the Niners.

…The Texans’ analysis of their botched punt (:35 mark)—It features Matt Turk attempting to explain how he ran three yards past the ball, thereby allowing Antonio Cromartie to recover it for a Chargers touchdown.

…Donovan McNabb wanting to run the ball for the first time in a year.

…Lovie Smith being coy about Brian Urlacher’s bad back.

…Mike Williams getting a moment to shine…and not doing it. Somewhere Matt Millen pinches himself to make sure he’s not dreaming.

…Fred Taylor’s career. It’s been a pretty good one.

…A possible return to the NFL for Jeremy Bloom.

We Missed the Arsenal-Liverpool Match For That?

They finally did it. They played an NFL game in Europe. Now Roger Goodell can go back to wrapping quarterbacks in bubble paper and bribing strip clubs not to admit NFL players.

The commish can take pleasure in the fact that overall the game was a success. It sold out and the excited fans were too ignorant to recognize the NFL had given them a subpar product. On the other hand, it was clear the game lacked a real NFL crowd. On key third downs the stadium was eerily silent. On questionable penalty calls there was no booing. That had to be weird for the players.

I guess the whole concept of fans being able to change the outcome of the game is an American thing. During European soccer games fans sing and chant with little correlation to what’s happening on the field of play. But in America fans cheer with two strikes, they yell when somebody’s at the free throw line, and they make as much noise as possible on third down. They think they can affect what happens. That cocky, self-importance from the fans was missing in London. So while the game was a success and future European get togethers are already being planned, it was nothing like a real NFL game.

Bonehead Moves of the Week

Eric Mangini

I’m still astounded that a Bill Belichick disciple could botch the end of a game so badly. Trailing 6-3 Chad Pennington drove the Jets into Bills territory and they eventually ended up with 4th and 3 at the Bills 41-yard line with 6 minutes left in the game. Mangini decided to punt. I understand that the Jets defense had been playing great, but you absolutely have to go for it there. Get a first down on the play and you’re in position to kick the game tying field goal. That’s the #1 thing to be concerned about, not field position or giving the Bills a chance to make it 9-3. You cannot give up a chance to tie the game by punting from the 41. If you have that much confidence in your defense then even if you miss on 4th down they should be able to get the ball back. The Jets did eventually get the ball back….trailing 13-3.

Marvin Lewis

The Bengals trailed 14-3 and had 4th and 1 at the Steelers 2-yard line late in the first half. The Bengals defense hadn’t been playing well and going for it was a no-brainer. Instead, Lewis kicked a field goal. The three points brought the Bengals within one score, but by kicking off they gave the Steelers 30 yards of field position. Ben Roethlisberger proceeded to run a perfect two minute drill and Willie Parker’s touchdown just before halftime gave the Steelers a 21-6 lead at the break.

Shrewd Moves of the Week

Jack Del Rio

Quinn Gray was terrible last week. There’s no debating that. This week Jack Del Rio decided he wouldn’t let Gray lose the game for him, and so the Jaguars came out running the ball. The ran the ball on their first 14 plays, the 15th was a screen pass, and the 16th was a touchdown run that gave the Jags a 7-3. Eventually Gray settled down a bit and in the 4th quarter he even hit a few key passes on the Jaguars’ game winning touchdown drive. Still, the reason Jacksonville was even in the game at that point was Del Rio’s decision to win strictly with defense and the running game.

Dick Jauron & Steve Fairchild

When protecting a lead late in the 4th quarter teams almost never take a shot down the field. Usually they’re content to bleed the clock running the ball even though the other team is playing 10 men in the box. The Bills coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for taking a shot down the field while clinging to a 6-3 lead. Sure, there was double coverage and the pass could have been intercepted, but usually the coverage will not be nearly that good. As it turned out, Lee Evans made a play and the decision to go deep sealed the win.

Scrounging for Signs of Patriots Weakness Can Be Difficult

During the first few weeks of the season, when Randy Moss was catching copious amounts of touchdown passes, Moss seemed to always be wide open and roaming free behind the defense. That hasn’t really been the case the last few weeks. Against the Dolphins both of Moss’ long touchdown catches came against double coverage on plays that easily could have been interceptions. Against the Redskins Moss’ touchdown came with the help on an obvious (but uncalled) push off, and his 35-yard fourth quarter reception came against triple coverage. Right now Moss and Brady are making the plays, but at some point (possibly against better ballhawking defensive backs) those throws might start turning into interceptions. Tom Brady better be careful.

Republican Politicians Could Be Brawling

Prior to the Chargers-Texans kickoff Arnold Schwarzenegger thanked the California firefighters and called them the “greatest, bravest, and most experienced firefighters in the world.” Rudy Giuliani might beg to differ about that. He seems pretty fond of the New York City firefighters.

Stat O’ the Week

4. The number of wins the Patriots and Colts have over NFC teams with winning records. It’s also the number of wins the entire NFC has over AFC teams with winning records. (Green Bay over San Diego, Chicago over Kansas City, Tampa Bay over Tennessee, and Arizona over Pittsburgh.)