$.01--Houston walloped Baltimore in the biggest statement of the weekend. And that statement says that the AFC will run through Houston this year. In the battle between the only two AFC teams entering the weekend with winning records, the Texans thoroughly dominated Baltimore 43-13.

It was not that close. The Texans' defense got tipped passes from at least five different players, an early safety from Connor Barwin, a Johnathan Joseph pick six off one of those tips (by JJ Watt, of course), and consecutive sacks by Antonio Smith just when Baltimore looked like they might have a pulse. The Ravens OL was overmatched, plain and simple. Houston’s own offense was firing on all cylinders, as Arian Foster just missed 100 yards on his 19 carries and scored two TDs while Matt Schaub picked apart the injury-ravaged Baltimore pass defense. There were several throws where the Ravens defense was barely in the television picture at either the QB or the receiver; Terrell Suggs was the best player on the defense and he came back about two months too soon from his Achilles injury. The Texans had never beaten the Ravens before and they took out years of frustration, a cathartic whipping that sent the town into a tizzy a week after H-Town went on suicide watch.

For the Ravens, this game is precisely why GM Ozzie Newsome has been so reluctant to give Joe Flacco a big contract. Flacco’s halftime numbers: 7-for-20 for 50 yards, two INTs, one first down after their initial drive produced a FG. It was 29-3 at that point and it made me wonder why NFL coaches are so loath to yank starters who clearly cannot answer the bell. This is something I’ve never understood. You play to win the games, as Herm Edwards eloquently stated, but for some reason NFL coaches steadfastly refuse to bow to common sense. Flacco was worse than his numbers indicated, wildly missing some throws and completely frustrated by the Texans deflecting six (6!?!) passes at the line. Spare him the indignity and send him to the showers early. The same has been true of Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler, Matt Stafford and other inconsistent QB; if you’ve got a viable backup, why not give him a shot? And if you don’t trust your backup QB to not be any worse than the starter on an awful day, why don’t you have a better Plan B? I understand that egos and contracts are sensitive issues, but even Justin Verlander gets the early hook when he’s more the problem than the solution. Football coaches could take a lesson from their baseball manager brethren here.

$.02--It was much more competitive in New York, where the Giants edged the very game Redskins in a thrilling NFC East battle. Washington was good, but the Giants were just a little better. This one really came to life late, and the two quarterbacks did not disappoint.

RG3 continues to run away and hide with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Aside from the gaudy numbers (on pace for 4000 passing and 1100 yards rushing), Griffin has a preternatural presence and uncanny ability to make the big play when it’s needed the most. He did so in this one, making a near-miracle 4th down conversion, the third successful 4th down conversion on the day, late in the game to extend a death-gasp drive. He quickly followed that up with a long run, then a TD strike to Santana Moss to give the Skins the lead with just under two minutes to play.

Eli Manning only needed 19 seconds to answer. Manning found Victor Cruz for a 77-yard catch and run with 1:13 to go on a play where the Redskins inexplicably forgot to cover Cruz, the preeminent deep threat in the game today. That still left time for RG3, but Moss went from hero to goat by fumbling after a catch over the middle which the Giants recovered. It was a whirlwind finish to a strange game. Neither quarterback looked real solid until the end, even though both put up boffo numbers. Washington fumbled five times, while Manning threw two truly egregious interceptions. The Redskins lost star tight end Fred Davis to a torn Achilles but might have found his replacement in-house in 7th round rookie Logan Paulsen. The Skins used inverted wishbones and empty backfields in the same drive, ran for almost 250 yards to New York’s 64, and lost.

This game aptly illustrated where these two teams are right now. The Giants move to 5-2 because they know how to make the big plays and thrive under pressure. The Skins are 3-4 because they have yet to master either of those skills, though it’s plainly obvious that RG3 will be there very soon. He just doesn’t have the supporting cast to help him. Look out when he does.

$.03--In a game that will forever be remembered for the controversial finish a lot more than the defensive slugfest it was for 60 minutes, San Francisco beat Seattle 13-6 and seized first place in the strong NFC West. The Niners defense made Seahawks QB Russell Wilson look very much like a rookie, while Frank Gore banged out more tough yards than Marshawn Lynch and Alex Smith made a couple (and only a couple) of great throws to account for the winning margin.

It’s that winning margin that has everyone talking. In case you missed it, Seattle had the ball deep in its own territory with under two minutes to go. Thanks to a series of offensive line woes, Seattle faced 4th and 17 from the four yard line. As Wilson delivered a ball from the end zone to Ben Obomanu, the Seahawks were (wrongly) flagged for a chop block that occurred in the end zone. That is an automatic safety, but because the Niners stopped Obomanu a half step short of the first down Niners coach Jim Harbaugh opted to take points off the board. He declined the penalty and the safety, instead taking the ball for a quick kneel to end the game.

If you’re not a gambler, this is no big deal. If you are a gambler and the line is Niners -7.5, it is life and death. Harbaugh’s strange action cost San Francisco backers millions, as they failed to cover the spread in victory. The Seahawks have already been involved in one great controversial ending this year. This one doesn’t impact the standings but might have deeper ramifications. Harbaugh is already a lone wolf in the coaching pack, defiantly marching to his own drummer. His arrogance and obvious pride in doing things his way has rankled many feathers across the NFL, but now he’s flipped the bird to the wrong people. It’s one thing to create bad blood with opposing teams, it’s another to court enmity and anger from the professional gambling community. The irony that it’s the Niners, formerly owned by Youngstown Mafioso kingpin Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who poke the gambling bears is delicious. I’m not suggesting that a guy in a white-on-white suit with a fedora is going to give Harbaugh the Nancy Kerrigan treatment, but I’m also not saying it would surprise me if an “accident” happens soon in the Harbaugh family. You never take points off the board in football, and you had better be aware of the bigger picture Mr. Harbaugh, lest you want to know firsthand where Jimmy Hoffa lies….

$.04--In what was not a thing of beauty, Dallas edged Carolina in Charlotte in a game that has both fan bases wondering aloud about their alleged franchise quarterbacks and their current head coaches.

Dallas fans got first call on the ponderous coaching move front, when Jason Garrett played for a (long) field goal instead of trying to take the lead with a touchdown. As the Cowboys trailed 14-13 with just under five minutes remaining, the scattershot Dallas offense impressively drove to achieve 1st & 10 at the Carolina 16. Garrett called two Phillip Tanner A-gap runs and a short pass play after Romo burned a timeout to avoid a delay penalty. There was no thought of testing a shaky Panthers secondary in the end zone. Dan Bailey booted the field goal but left 3:39 for Cam Newton and the Panthers to stage the comeback.

Fortunately for Dallas, the Panthers executed their own poorly conceived game plan even more shoddily. Newton made a strong throw on the first play to Louis Murphy but then felt the pressure, both situational and Dallas-induced. A quick three plays set up 4th and 1 at their own 40 with just over two minutes left. Instead of punting, the Panthers opted to go for it, which surprised Dallas. Newton tried to catch the Cowboys shuffling personnel and it sure looked like he got ‘em, but the officials granted Dallas the timeout. Still opting to go for it instead of relying on the defense to force a quick three and out and improve field position, Newton tried to find Murphy again. Cowboys rookie CB Morris Claiborne got there early for obvious interference, but the officials didn’t see it that way. Dallas quickly chipped in another field goal, setting up true desperation time for Newton. With no timeouts he drove to his own 46 before an Anthony Spencer sack snuffed out all hope. Well, there was one last play, and it told me volumes about Cam Newton. After a completion and as the clock hit zero, the Panthers played the old lateral shell game. The ball eventually wound up in Newton’s hands, which seems like the most optimal situation for Carolina: Cam Newton in the open field with some blockers and half the Cowboys D already behind him. Newton wanted that ball about as much as my wife wants a cockroach in the kitchen sink and he was quickly tackled, ending the game.

After the game Newton brought his truculent persona, nothing like the responsible, focused leader he was after their last loss. He had the posture and attitude of a spoiled child, complaining about the lousy play calling, poor defense, and demanding changes. Without a hint of irony, he told the press he would bring a suggestion box for them to offer input. Of course the now fired Panthers GM, Marty Hurney, is a former press corps member who didn't do much to help Newton. The Panthers are a hot mess right now, but watching Newton disintegrate into every draftnik’s worst nightmare is very disturbing. 

$.05--Pittsburgh made the AFC playoff picture even more crowded by knocking off the fading Bengals in Cincinnati in the Sunday night affair. It was the Steelers first road win and first division win of the season, and at 3-3 they are back from the netherland. Even though they trail the Ravens by a game, right now Pittsburgh is far and away the best team in the AFC North.

The Bengals could have seized that throne but instead played the final two and a half quarters in a kind of haze, making many wonder if someone spiked their Gatorade with Nyquil. Pittsburgh has one of the weakest running games in the NFL and was playing their 3rd and 4th string RBs thanks to injuries. No matter; Jonathan Dwyer and friends snowplowed and cavorted their way to 167 yards on 29 carries, repeatedly gashing what should be a much stouter Bengals defense. Undrafted rookie LB Vontaze Burfict wound up with 11 solo tackles, one of which occurred within five yards of the line of scrimmage. That’s a huge failure by the much-hyped-by-me Bengals defensive line, which got mauled by a much-derided-by-me Steelers offensive line.

That wasn’t the only Bengals curiousity. Andy Dalton threw more balls to Ryan Whalen than any other receiver in the second half, including all world AJ Green (1 catch, 8 yards). Whalen is normally a game-day inactive. Marvin Lewis made two asinine challenges that burned precious timeouts when it was plainly obvious from even a quick look at replay that neither had a chance of succeeding. The Cincy D was almost freakishly passive most of the night, and Roethlisberger exploited it for 10 third down conversions and nearly double the time of possession. I don’t want to discount Pittsburgh too much because they played well, but the Bengals rolled up the carpet after about 20 minutes in a division home game with serious playoff implications. That’s the larger story to me and I hope the Cincy media gives it the deep full body cavity treatment.

$.06--The battle for second place in the suddenly wretched NFC South produced what could be a major turning point for the victorious Saints. It also highlights why Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano is probably not long for the NFL.

By now you’ve seen the play. Bucs QB Josh Freeman hits Vincent Jackson with a high quick strike that sends both defensive backs to the turf. As Jackson saunters towards the end zone, from out of nowhere Malcolm Jenkins chases him down at the one yard line. It’s at this point where Greg Schiano proves he’s a college coach, not a NFL entity. With foru plays to get one yard, the Bucs lose 4, the loss coming on 4th & 1 with Freeman haphazardly and half-heartedly rolling to his right with only two receiving options. Sending plodder Legarrette Blount into a 9-man front three plays in a row is just asking to fail, particularly in the wake of Stanford doing the same damn thing last week and failing. It wasn’t Schiano’s only epic fail as a coach, as he ordered his players to do an illegal shift and bark out the cadence on a punt, drawing a penalty that kept a Saints drive alive. It’s acceptable to try punk moves like that every now and then, but his conduct in the huddle with the officials when his team got caught is that of a clueless jackass.

Jenkins’ effort is the kind of emotional play that can turn a season around. A 1-4 team on the road would have every reason to loaf it, but Jenkins displayed the heart of a champion. If the Saints somehow march back into the crowded NFC playoff picture, this play will be the spark that lit the fire. On a day where Drew Brees was 20-for-25 for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the first half (but finished with just 377), it was the defense that saved the day.

Tampa showed a little mettle of its own in trying to come back. A late drive was very well-handled by Freeman, who hit Jackson and Dallas Clark with legit great throws to set up shots in the end zone. In their classic creamsicle uniforms, Freeman completed two throws in the end zone in the final moments. But Jackson had his heels out of bounds on the first, and Mike Williams was forced out on the second to end the game. It was nice to see Freeman back in top form, but it wasn’t enough on this given Sunday.

$.07--Awards!

Offense: Aaron Rodgers. He was as near perfect as he’s been in some time. 30-for-37, 342 yards, 3 TDs, including a strike to Randall Cobb that is as good a throw as you will ever see. I’d give it to Vincent Jackson and his 216 receiving yards, but the Bucs wideout has to score on that 95-yard pass.

Defense: Anthony Spencer. His numbers (4 solo tackles, 1 sack) aren’t imposing but Spencer’s strong play is directly responsible for Dallas winning an ugly game in Charlotte. His pressure forced Cam Newton into several bad throws, and he effectively kept Newton from escaping the pocket to make plays, while sealing the victory with his late sack. Saints CB Malcolm Jenkins made the valiant tackle on the aforementioned Jackson reception and probably deserves to share the award on that alone, but he had a terrible game outside that play.

Special teams: Andy Lee. The 49ers punter put on a show Thursday night, pinning four of his five punts inside the Seattle 20 and only allowing dynamic Seahawks returner Leon Washington 5 return yards thanks to excellent hang time.

Assistant Coach: Wade Philips. The Texans Defensive Coordinator came up with a great plan to pound the Ravens, and his players executed with spirit and precision. On a day when MVP candidate JJ Watt was held sackless for the first time, the Texans D sstill completely dominated the game. That’s coaching!

$.08--5 NFL Quickies

1. Minnesota beat Arizona despite a terrible day from Christian Ponder, who was 8-for-17 for 58 yards with one TD, 3 sacks and 2 INTs. This game set offensive play back a few decades. John Skelton’s second best throw of the day went to a cheerleader, and his 4th & 1 read option bootleg has to be one of the worst-conceived plays ever. Consider the Cardinals bubble officially burst.

2. At 5:51 PM CDT, the Jets/Pats and Raiders/Jaguars games were both 23-13, one game had 12:40 and the other 12:42 left in the 4th quarter, and both were on commercial break with the same Aaron Rodgers State Farm ad that was out of sync by about 3 seconds. Thanks to my son Layne for pointing this freakish coincidence out to me.

3. I hate making excuses but I’m giving Browns rookie WR Josh Gordon a big pass on his end zone drop that would have given the Browns a late lead in Indy. When you play in a dome you don’t expect to suddenly come into a patch of bright sunshine, which was what happened as Gordon turned to pull in the ball. The blinding sun gets the game ball for the Colts, who survived another uneven performance by Andrew Luck, who was not the best rookie QB in this particular game.

4. It was more difficult than expected, but the Patriots held off the inspired rival Jets. Despite a patchwork secondary that had their best corner playing safety and some guys who would struggle in the UFL (keep reading…) manning the corner spots, New England’s defense finally held strong late in a game and didn’t piss away a win. Two quick conclusions from watching both these teams the past few weeks: the Patriots are not near as good as recent vintages, and the Jets are not nearly as bad as most people want them to be.

 

  1. With Blaine Gabbert and Mo Jones-Drew both on the sidelines with injuries, Oakland still needed a big comeback to force overtime at home to beat the Jaguars. This game will hold much bigger implications come April than it does now, as the Jaguars get the tie-breaker in the battle for the #1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Jacksonville could very well have a new GM making those picks for the new owner, who cannot be happy with the return on his billion dollar investment.

$.09--5 College/Draft Quickies

1. LSU started slowly in College Station against Texas A&M but then gave the Aggies a taste of SEC medicine. After TAMU Coach Kevin Sumlin designed an offensive game plan that used LSU’s aggressiveness against them, Les Miles and his staff adjusted and dominated the final two and half quarters. They switched to a 3-man front and played ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery (among others, they rotated heavily) in a 7-technique, which is akin to the wide-9 used by the Eagles and Lions in a four-man front. It worked well to keep Aggies QB Johnny Manziel contained. Mingo had a very poor game overall, jumping offsides four times and missing tackles while overrunning sacks. One who didn’t have a bad game was TAMU DE Damontre Moore, who was a force from right end. He made plays all over the field, moving like a LB in space but showing he could hold the edge and slip blocks to get to the ball. If you just went off this game, Moore looked like a much more complete NFL prospect than Mingo.

2. Last week I opined that West Virginia QB Geno Smith’s next game after his subpar trip to Lubbock would be crucial in evaluating him for the NFL Draft. After watching Smith struggle even worse in a 55-14 drubbing in Morgantown to Kansas State, the shooting star has lost its burn. But there is still a star. Defenses have figured out how to scheme against the Mountaineer offense, and WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen needs to come up with some new tricks. I felt that Smith was constrained by the offensive sets and that he still showed strong mechanics, a plus arm, and generally good decision making. Such is the peril of evaluating QBs from gimmicky offenses. Smith still sits atop my QB ratings, but I’d be wary of taking him too high; he’s not even at the Ryan Tannehill/Sam Bradford level in my opinion, let alone RG3 to compare to recent high picks.

3. Kansas State deserves its own point here. In a Big 12 Conference where Baylor, Texas, West Virginia, and Kansas are all on pace to give up over 1,000 yards more than any previous season in school histories, Bill Snyder’s Wildcats really bring the defense. It’s a refreshing throwback watching them play, and it’s a real credit to Snyder and his staff for teaching fundamentals. The best way to stop a high-flying spread passing offense isn’t pressuring the QB but rather tackling the receiver as soon as he catches it, and nobody knows this or executes this better than Kansas State.

4. Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib has garnered lots of attention, and I got my first long look at him against UConn Friday night. Nassib started slow but rounded into form against a Huskies defense with two strong corners. He has a cannon of an arm; the ball explodes out of his hand. Nassib has good size and toughness. Accuracy was hit and miss but got better the more he threw. His 3rd & long conversions on a late 1st half drive when the game was still in questions (the Orange won 40-10) were legit NFL throws under duress. I came away more impressed than I have been with Nassib.

5. Mississippi State is the most unheralded 7-0 team this side of Ohio U. (shameless alma mater mention!), but the Bulldogs are about to lose the Swimmies and venture into the deep end of the pool. The next three games are at Alabama, home for Texas A&M, and at LSU, arguably three of the top 5 most talented defenses in the nation. Junior QB Tyler Russell (what’s with all the QBs named Tyler?!?) has steadily progressed each week while the young OL is congealing nicely, led by LT Blaine Clausell, who has the look of a high draft pick in 2014. I don’t think they’ll win any of those three games, but taking even one is a sign that Dan Mullen’s team could swim very high next year. If they somehow beat Bama, they just might float to the top of the SEC West this year.

$.10--Saturday brought some sad news to my eyes and ears. The United Football League (UFL) ceased operations halfway through their season, effective immediately. The official announcement states that the league plans on restarting in the Spring of 2013 with additional plans to play next fall as well, but I believe that about as much as I believe in the impending Mayan apocalypse, which of course would render any postponement moot.

I was apparently one of the few UFL fans out there. It’s too bad more of you didn’t give it a fair chance, because the football was very good and NFL fans would recognize many names. Former NFL coaches Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, and Marty Schottenheimer patrolled the UFL sidelines, running NFL schemes with many former NFL-drafted players. The level of play was better than BCS college games, especially for the undefeated Las Vegas Locos. They even landed a reputable TV deal on CBS Sports, Channel 613 on DirecTV.

Alas, the UFL was woefully mismanaged. Promotion was scant; I venture that I personally tweeted more about the UFL than the UFL itself did. The official league website was a one-page, tersely-worded statement that more would come in time. Other than the Virginia Destroyers, none of the teams got any real local publicity. I live in Houston and I see print and hear radio ads for semi-pro football teams in Austin and San Antonio, but people living 5 minutes from where the Sacramento Mountain Lions played never saw a single advert, not even a cheap pre-paid fluff in the free community rags you grab on the way out of the grocery store.

I have long been a strong proponent of an alternative professional football league. I did my senior history thesis at Ohio University in 1996 on the subject thanks to my childhood love of the USFL. I know it can work if done properly. The talent pool is plenty deep, and fans will pay reasonable amounts for well-produced action. And I strongly believe the NFL would provide tacit behind-the-scenes support for a league to help serve in an advanced developmental capacity to fill the aching void of the demise of NFL Europe. The USFL is going to try again, though they’ve already pushed back their start date until Spring 2014, which again means nothing if the Mayan Apocalypse or the wing-nut lunatic fringe (hi Tommy!) of the conservative movement is correct that an Obama reelection will end the world as we know it.

Fans must know about it, and they must see a product that strongly resembles the NFL. It can thrive in mid-size cities with no NFL competition, as the USFL proved in Memphis and San Antonio and the UFL did in Virginia Beach. If the players have local or collegiate ties to the home area, all the better. Costs must be contained but not done on the cheap. Owners must expect to lose all their money at the onset and not recoup losses for at least three years, which is admittedly a tough sell. I believe the best time to run a season is late spring, starting the week after the NFL Draft and ending Father’s Day weekend. But what do I know? I’m just a guy with a degree on the subject…