$.01-- This is quickly turning into one of the strangest NFL seasons ever. Witness the importance of the Kansas City/Oakland game, a thriller in which the Raiders overcame 15 penalties and four fumbles to pull out the overtime stunner. That puts the Oakland Raiders at 5-4 and a half-game back of the Chiefs, but by virtue of their 3-0 division record gives the Raiders the inside track at the halfway point. If you would have guessed the combination of Jason Campbell to Jacoby Ford would lead the Raiders into first place, you pretty much need to live at a roulette wheel and keep betting the house on 31. This was not a game for the faint of heart. 27 penalties (with 3 others declined), some truly awful officiating (more on that later), poor use of challenges, scads of missed tackles and misfired throws, and a combined 6-for-27 on 3rd down is all indicative of the sloppy play on a sloppy field. I suspect Raiders fans will take it happily. Oakland has won three in a row, including their first home sellout in some time. Their run defense once again showed real teeth, limiting the league-leading Chiefs to just 104 yards on 34 carries and just two rushes longer than 7 yards all day. Playing with a manly vigor and snarl that recalls the Ted Hendricks days, Oakland has itself a speedy, physical defense that is really coming together nicely. But the key to the three-game winning streak has been the play of QB Jason Campbell. He shook off a miserable first half to engineer the game-tying drive, and then struck quickly in overtime to set up the game-winning Janikowski field goal. He hit 12 of his last 15 passes and did so with a calmness and confidence that clearly rubbed off on his teammates. Campbell fits Hue Jackson?s offense nicely, and his emergence as a vertical passing threat provides the complement to Darren McFadden?s hard-charging running. This was the sort of game that Campbell often threw away with Washington, which is why Washington threw him away in turn. He probably still has to look over his shoulder once Bruce Gradkowski is fully healthy. But for the last month Jason Campbell has been the leader and the reliable arm the Raiders have lacked since Rich Gannon, and the team around him is quietly playing some very physical, exciting football. Will they keep it up long enough to end the playoff drought? In this crazy season, why not?! $.02-- In one of the biggest stunners in recent memory, the Cleveland Browns blew out the New England Patriots 34-14. Riding the runaway freight train that is Peyton Hillis and taking full advantage of the Patriot LB?s complete inability to stay at home, Cleveland ran all over New England and once again proved that there is room for old school football. It was a game that the rabid fans of Northeast Ohio can really sink their teeth into. Three yards and a cloud of dust, ball control passing, and hard hitting, disciplined defense was the recipe once again for the Browns, who have now beaten the Saints and Patriots in their last two games. Okay, technically Hillis averaged over six yards per attempt, but you get the picture. Rookie QB Colt McCoy once again avoided mistakes and showed off some opportunistic running, but the story here was the power running game. LG Eric Steinbach and C Alex Mack absolutely dominated the Patriots defense with pulls, traps, and flat-out bulldozing. The Cleveland wideouts did an exceptional job locking up the Patriots DBs, who locate the ball like a drunken guy searching for the bathroom light switch in a dark house. It was an exceptional game plan once again from The Mangenius, who clearly saw some vulnerabilities on film and devised a plan of attack that exploited them early and often. Rob Ryan?s defense bewildered another top-flight offense with savvy packages of zone blitzes, mixed coverages, and waves of fresh legs. I?ve rarely seen Tom Brady so out of sync, starting 1-for-6 and consistently unable to get in rhythm or on the same wavelength as his young wideouts. Give credit to Eric Mangini for fashioning a different kind of ?modern? team, and credit the players to buy into it with such a (perceived) tenuous coaching situation and their greenhorn QB. $.03-- Atlanta staked their claim to being the NFC?s best team by beating Tampa Bay, seizing control of the NFC South. The Bucs were valiant and nearly pulled off the improbable victory, but for a fierce goal line stand by the Falcons defense late in the 4th quarter. What stands out about Atlanta is their balance. Today it was Michael Turner and the ground game taking the lead, bagging over 100 yards and two touchdowns. In other games it has been the passing of Matt Ryan and the receiving of Roddy White. Tony Gonzalez remains a fantastic chain-moving TE, and the Falcons have depth at both WR and RB. They?re good in the red zone at both ends of the field, which showed in this game. Atlanta seldom commits poor penalties, and they take very good care of the ball. That was especially important in this game, as they forced a key Josh Freeman INT that flipped the field and helped salt away the victory. The special teams were awful, but some of that must be credited to Tampa. In short, on Sunday the Falcons proved to be a balanced, disciplined, talented team that won?t beat itself and won?t be easy for anyone else to beat either. In this year?s weak NFC, that just might make them the team most likely to emerge with the conference title. $.04-- The Giants have won five in a row and convincingly laid out their argument for being the team to beat in the NFC. Their humiliation of the host Seahawks was like a buzzsaw through balsa wood, almost comedic in its ease and bloody devastating to anyone standing too close. Where the Falcons sort of lull you to sleep with their consistency and precision, the Giants play with the subtlety of a monster truck rally. They are big, they are physical, and they are not shy about showing off their talents. Eli Manning might finally be beyond his ?what the hell was that?? game per month phase, and Hakeem Nicks is a legit Pro Bowl receiver. Their offensive weaponry is scary, with Ahmad Bradshaw running wild and Brandon Jacobs recovering his mojo. Jonathan Goff has been a revelation in the middle of the defense, and the embattled secondary has found new life and confidence with the return of a healthy Kenny Phillips. It helps that they play behind a great, consistent pass rush that physically beats down offensive lines. The 35-0 first 25 minutes was perhaps the most impressive display of football this season. Doing it in Seattle makes it all the more impressive, as they hadn?t won there since the Seahawks were in the AFC West with Steve Largent catching balls from Jim Zorn. I had concerns that the bye week would sap some momentum from the G-Men, but that seemed laughable right away. Kudos to Tom Coughlin, who deserves a hell of a lot more credit for how he handles this team than he gets considering the vitriolic blame he shoulders every time they cough up a hairball. $.05-- The New York Jets escaped Ford Field with an overtime victory that was much more a case of the inexperienced Lions losing the game than the Jets winning it. This one hurt for my fellow Lions fans. It never should have come to that. The Lions lost K Jason Hanson on a clear, deliberate cheap shot on an extra point, one that forced Ndamukong Suh to take the attempt, which he clanked off the upright. An asinine late hit penalty by LB Julian Peterson set up the Jets for the tying FG, a drive made less frantic by a terrible decision by Lions coach Jim Schwartz to throw the ball on 3rd down instead of milking more clock. This game was billed as a matchup of Matt Stafford vs. Mark Sanchez in a battle of second-year QBs, but that never really materialized. The Sanchize was erratic most of the day, and Stafford left the game in the 4th quarter with yet another shoulder injury after clearly outplaying his counterpart. To be fair to Sanchez, he connected on a couple of great long TD strikes, but those plays accounted for over a third of his yardage and he was wildly off target on several throws. The Jets survived 5 fumbles and burning two timeouts early in the second half because they had 12 men on the field. It was an ugly victory, but the kind of victory that good teams get and bad teams don?t. These Lions just might be the best 2-6 team in NFL history, but the bottom line is they have to play a full 60 minutes and start converting some of these heart-wrenching losses into victories. The talent is clearly there, and the time for moral victories is gone. $.06-- For all the drama surrounding the Vikings over the last couple of weeks, Sunday had to feel cathartic for the Minnesota faithful. Or did it? The Vikings pulled off a highly unlikely comeback win, scoring 14 points in the final 3 minutes to catch a shell-shocked Arizona team that was prematurely celebrating on the sidelines. It?s hard to blame them, though. They had a two touchdown lead and the fans were in all-out ?Fire Childress? mode, and had held on for a stubborn goal-line stand a few moments earlier. Given all the turmoil and chaos in the Twin Cities, that lead sure looked and felt safe. Then Brett Favre reminded us why he?ll be in Canton someday, the first such glimpse we?ve seen this season. The old gunslinger unleashed the fury, throwing strikes and rallying his troops. The Vikings defensive line finally stepped up and played like everyone thought they would all year, but this one was about #4 finding his magic touch once again. That TD throw to Shiancoe was a masterpiece, and there was little doubt who would win once the game went to overtime even though the Cardinals won the toss. Still, there are major issues in Minnesota. Can we really expect Favre to pull another one of those games out of his grey beard? The special teams were bad and the Cardinals blew several opportunities, from Kerry Rhodes loafing on a surefire INT/TD return that turned into a touchback to the six sacks and just 3 runs all day that gained more than 4 yards. I would say Arizona has more on-field issues than Minnesota at this point, but nobody cares half as much. The ongoing Percy Harvin/Brad Childress feud, the Days of Our Lives series that is Brett Favre?s life, the startling release of Randy Moss, the ongoing stadium quest, and the underachievement of too many very good players makes the Vikings a much sexier story. The crazy thing is that at 3-5 they are just two games back of a wild card berth, and they?ve already played the toughest part of their schedule. There is still a pretty fair chance Brad Childress gets fired this week, but there is also a pretty fair chance this team can make the playoffs. $.07--7 Quickies: 1. Congrats to UDFA rookie Seyi Ajirotutu of the Chargers, who lit up the Texans for 111 yards and 2 TDs. He was a draft sleeper of mine and didn?t disappoint in running free against the pathetic Texans pass defense. Good on you, Seyi! 2. Close but no cigar again for Buffalo, but a funny thing is happening amidst all the losing. The Bills might have found themselves a keeper at QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick. That will make draft time real interesting for a team that has myriad needs at so many positions. 3. Anyone else think that maybe the reason the Colts lost to Philly is because their uniforms and sideline apparel looked a whole lot more like the Detroit Lions than the Indianapolis Colts? 4. I agree with Cris Collinsworth 100% when he stated that the best way to deter helmet-to-helmet contact and head shots is to impact the current game and not threaten suspension or fines after the fact. I love the idea of immediate ejection for any player penalized for leading with the head or headhunting--provided the officials can review it to make sure of the call. I thought Collinsworth had a great night on a dreadful game, one that proved once and for all that many Cowboys have quit. 5. The Channing Crowder/LeRon McClain feud brought out the best in Derrick Mason. Regardless of whether or not McClain spat upon Crowder, I found Mason?s matter-of-fact breakdown of Crowder?s game both hilarious and spot-on football analysis. I couldn?t help but think of the latest Godsmack song, ?Crying Like a Bitch?. 6. Memo to the Panthers? Steve Smith: When you are losing 34-3 and catch a 9-yard pass from the 3rd string QB against little resistance, that is not the time to talk trash and wildly gesticulate your supreme self-confidence. Classless. 7. Enough about Tom Brady?s hair already. Dude is married to a supermodel and had a baby with one of the most underrated hotties of all time, and I know many happily married women who would throw it all away to be with Brady even if he grows Fabio hair. $.08-- Without going into a lengthy laundry list--and it would indeed be lengthy--the officials had a wretched day of calls on Sunday. Some of the flags, spots, and calls were not up to the level of high school officiating crews I?ve served on. It is time for the NFL to hold officials more accountable for such blatantly awful calls. Weekly reviews should include the potential for fines and suspensions for substandard performance, and those decisions should be made in part by an independent panel of well-schooled officials and retired coaches and/or players. Two sweeping actions need to be implemented for next season: pass interference must change to a 15-yard penalty and not a spot foul, and teams should be given the opportunity to challenge one penalty call per half. We?ve seen too many clearly incorrect pass interference calls influence outcomes of too many games, and when it?s as obvious as some (like the one in the OAK/KC game that set up the Chiefs? first TD) that the call is just awful and/or made by an official clearly out of position to make a proper call (like the phantom chop block call on Peterman in the DET/NYJ game), teams need to be given the opportunity to overcome bad officiating. The game is too big to do nothing about it. $.09--5 College/Draft quickies: 1. I?ll write up a full review of the LSU/Bama scouting angles and some other tidbits later this week, but the one thing I took from the game is that Julio Jones and Patrick Peterson are both future NFL stars. Watching them square off in person was a huge treat and my overall impression of both players jumped. That?s real hard when two players face each other like that, but both showed me incredible skills that will translate to immediate NFL success. 2. Texas got thumped again, this time at Kansas State in a game where KSU didn?t throw a pass in the first half and had just two players, backup QB Collin Klein and stud RB Daniel Thomas, touch the ball on offense the entire game. Mack Brown has earned enough credit at Texas to survive an off year, but the losses keep getting uglier. If the Longhorns don?t go bowling--a real possibility--Brown had better win a BCS bowl game after the 2011 season. Or else. 3. TCU 47, Utah 7. Tell me any instance where the #4 team in the country goes on the road and beats the #6 team in the country like that and doesn?t move up in the polls or factor in the national title picture. So what if it happened in the Mountain West? Neither the ACC nor the Big East has any teams ranked in the top 20. 4. Michigan?s triple-overtime win against Illinois is being heralded as a potential career-saver for RichRod. How exactly does giving up almost 600 yards, committing 5 turnovers, and having to have the exiled backup QB rescue the team (again!) show anything positive for Rodriguez? And for those who think RichRod?s go-go offense is a new wave to the Big Ten--ever watch Minnesota, Purdue, or Northwestern earlier this decade? 5. My beloved Ohio Bobcats are 7-3 and head to Temple a week from Tuesday to play for the MAC East title. Ohio went 10-42-2 during my time in Athens, with 4 of those wins against I-AA opponents. For Ohio University to be looking at a 3rd consecutive bowl game while Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame, and Miami (both FL and OH) could all miss bowl games brings a broad and shocked smile to my face. $.10-- Auburn quarterback Cam Newton made the news this week with allegations of some back-room dealings involving his recruitment from junior college. It?s a complex web of former college players, middle men, pseudo agents, and the most talented college football player in the nation and his family. I don?t know all the facts, but I do know two things here are absolute truths: -- Elite JUCO players routinely seek the most lucrative deal when moving to a BCS school and, -- The schools themselves absolutely know what?s going on That?s not to paint Auburn with a guilty brush. This sort of activity goes on with nearly every top HS and JUCO recruit, and that has been the case for a long time. Auburn was simply the highest bidder in this case, and did what they felt they had to do to keep up with the rest of the SEC. Imagine you are the person in the Auburn athletic department (be it head coach or recruiting director or AD) and someone comes to you offering the best QB available, but it will cost you $250K in under-the-table slushy booster funds to get him. Oh yeah, one of your biggest rivals will give him $200K and he likes their coach better to boot. How do you answer the teeming throngs screaming for your head and Paul Finebaum labeling you ?soft in the pants? on national radio when this recruit eviscerates your defense and a division rival leaps over you in the brutally competitive SEC food chain? The answer is simple: you pay the man. ?Everyone else is doing it? is a lame excuse, but it happens to be factual in this case. If you, my fair reader, don?t want to pull your head out of the deep sand, then you probably don?t believe all those lobbyists on K Street have anything to do with how our government is run either. It?s the same thing, people. That doesn?t make it right, not for Newton or Auburn, not for Reggie Bush or USC, not for the entire UNC starting defense this year, not for Player X at (insert college here). But that is the status quo with BCS football these days. It?s at this point where I reiterate my simple solution: remove Division I football from the NCAA. Let the big-time schools from the BCS conferences and any other schools that think they can hang with the big boys pay their players, bid for their services out of high school and junior college, and create their own national championship tournament independent of the NCAA. The programs fund themselves thanks to a new TV contract and more boosters more willing to shell out more $$ without feeling dirty about it. It helps rectify the egregious discrimination against male athletes thanks to Title IX and having no female equivalent to football and its 85+ member teams. It even saves taxpayer dollars! The public schools would no longer have to pay the football coaches $5M a year because that money could come from the buyers and boosters. But that will never happen because too many people have too much to lose with the current system. Don?t blame Cam Newton or his father Cecil and don?t blame Auburn. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com