$.01-- The Jaguars and Raiders played a wildly entertaining contest in the only one of the early games played in decent weather. It took a turn for the worse when Jason Campbell briefly got knocked out of the game and Kyle Boller had to take over for Oakland, but this was the rare week that both of these up-and-down teams brought their ?A? games. So many great story lines, so little time! Darren McFadden solidified my vote for Most Improved Player with a truly awesome performance. On a radio show in preseason, I cracked that I was still waiting for McFadden to break his first NFL tackle. Well, he figured it out; his vicious stiff-arm to score the TD that tied the game at 31 looked like Jim Brown. Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jaguars power running game was just a little more awesome. It?s not often that a team gets two 100-yard rushers in one game, but Rashad Jennings joined MJD in the century club. The Jaguars line dominated up front, allowing the backs to easily scoot thru the initial contact zone unscathed and build momentum into the secondary. There?s the redemption angle for Jason Hill, a Niners castoff who caught a beautiful deep ball from David Garrard for a long touchdown. There?s Ohio Bobcat Mike Mitchell pulling in an opportunistic INT for the Raiders, and Oakland coach Tom Cable wisely using the challenge flag to get the call right after the officials on the field made an initial ruling that was technically impossible (an incomplete pass that never touched the ground). There?s the angle of the first-place Jaguars finally not choking on a 7-5 start as they have recently, including last year when they tanked badly. There?s the Raiders strangely getting pass-happy while Campbell was out even though McFadden was unstoppable running the ball. But what really sticks with me is how Jacksonville responded to the challenge. This team has often resembled wet cardboard when under pressure lately, but they got stronger on Sunday as the intensity ratcheted upward. When Oakland scored to go up 24-14, the Jaguars didn?t fold. That?s the sign of a playoff team, and the Jaguars took a huge step towards becoming one of those today. $.02-- What an amazing turn of events for the Bays, as Tampa escapes Washington with a gift win while the Packers lose the game, and perhaps Aaron Rodgers, in an ugly loss to Detroit. I begrudgingly give the Buccaneers credit for being just good enough to let Washington completely self-destruct and lose the game. Graham Gano missed two chip-shot field goals, but the ultimate sin wasn?t the Redskins kicker?s fault. The botched snap on the game-tying extra point, after Donovan McNabb and the Skins finally strung together an impressive scoring drive, allowed Tampa Bay to go home with a win and renewed playoff life. It was not their best effort, and the bodies continue to hit the floor, but the Bucs continue to be the little engine that could. The body count for the Packers is now reaching epic proportions, something that threatens to scuttle their entire season. Aaron Rodgers was battered and under heavy pressure all day before suffering a concussion when he failed to slide on a scramble and got thumped from behind. It?s his second concussion of the season, and with the heightened emphasis on head injuries that could keep him out for a week or two. Judging by what happened after he left, that?s a death knell for Green Bay. Matt Flynn came in and made some nice plays, but his arm strength is severely lacking. Considering how handily the Lions backup defensive ends (Lawrence Jackson and Turk McBride, replacing Kyle VandenBosch and Cliff Avril) whipped the Green Bay tackles on every single snap, and how much trouble Flynn had locating the open man and getting the ball there in prompt fashion, if Rodgers misses more than a half, the Packers stand little chance of winning. Their remaining schedule is brutal--at New England, then home for the Giants and Bears, and they almost certainly have to win at least two of those to have any shot at the playoffs. That would be a stunning fall for a team that was almost universally proclaimed the NFC?s best one month ago. $.03-- Watching the video of the Metrodome collapsing under the weight of the snow is one of the coolest things I?ve seen in a good while. Considering all the subtexts that go along with this, it just might be the most significant occurrence in the NFC this year. Think about it. The Giants get to avoid a hostile road environment in Minnesota, while the Vikings lose a home game by having to travel with the Giants to Detroit. The Giants are clinging to their playoff lives, needing every win they can get to keep up with the Eagles in the NFC East and the Bucs, Packers and Saints in the Wild Card race. That is a huge break for the G-Men. Brett Favre gets an extra day to rest and perhaps extend his ridiculous consecutive game streak. I rip Favre quite a bit, but when the man can dial up a natural disaster to keep the streak alive, that?s some pretty impressive karmic pull for #4. He still might not play, but I?ll believe that when the final gun sounds Monday night at Ford Field. It also reinforces the need for a new stadium in Minnesota. Immediately the conspiracy theorists wondered if Vikings owner Zygi Wilf helped cut the hole in the roof himself, as he has been begging for a new stadium/threatening to move his team for years now. It?s hard to argue with Wilf?s position after watching the dilapidated roof cave in. Considering that the lease expires after next season, there is very little even the most ardent Wilf critic (and there are many) can credibly posit that Wilf has any choice but to move the team without a new stadium. With a strong ownership group already in place in Los Angeles just waiting for a team, and with Commissioner Goodell continuing to throw sobriquets towards London, the stunning collapse might be the embarrassing spectacle that shames the Minnesota state legislature into keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. Now they get to play in Detroit on Monday night, which is remarkable in that it will be the first MNF game in Ford Field. That?s how bad the Lions have been. Here?s hoping the Detroit football fans turn out en masse, if only to prove that they will in fact pay hard-earned $$ to watch a good football team?even if it happens to normally play in New York. $.04-- A wise man once said, ?In order to win an argument, it?s better to reinforce your position than to raise your voice.? Bill Belichick and the Patriots clearly believe in that philosophy. Their evisceration of the Bears in a windy snowstorm, coming on the heels of their utter domination of the Jets, was a magnanimous reinforcement of their claim as the NFL?s top team. New England had 33 points at halftime, while the Bears netted 33 yards in the first two quarters. The second half was played before an almost empty Soldier Field, and those few Bears fans remaining were openly cheering for Bears miscues--which kept them quite busy. Neither team showed any real pulse in the second half, befitting the blizzard conditions and the gross disparity of execution in the first half. This one really hurts Chicago, no matter what face they put on it. They were quietly rather confident they were going to come out and make a bold national statement with this game. Even the brutal weather didn?t disparage their confidence; many players called it ?Bear Weather? even though New England has played more home games in the snow over the last 15 years than any team other than Denver. This was their chance to prove their argument as the cream of the NFC, and instead they got humiliated on national TV. Bears fans are notorious extremists regarding their team, particularly when the going gets tough. For their part, this team is noted for their acute rabbit ears and sensitivity towards the fans? vacillating attitude. This loss is not going to play well in Chicago, as the Bears blew a golden opportunity to seize the NFC North and prove they belonged in the argument for best team in the league. $.05-- In less than a week the New York Jets have played two incredibly ugly games where they have failed to find the end zone. The Sanchize continues to have major problems in inclement weather--not a new development--and it appears his easy confidence is taking a hard fall. Of course it?s hard to stay confident when your receivers continue to have sticks of butter for fingers. Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes with a perfect strike in the end zone that bounced off the normally sure-handed receiver. Dustin Keller dropped two easy ones, and Holmes and Braylon Edwards each missed throws that weren?t great but were certainly catchable. It?s a very tenuous time for the Jets and their braggadocios coach. Judging by the Jet assistant deliberately tripping a Dolphin player on special teams, the coaching staff is not in a good position to stop the bleeding. This team relies heavily on the power of swagger; they carry a big stick but do so loudly and proudly. But their big stick has a real small handle, and their sweaty hands are barely hanging on right now. They haven?t beaten a team that currently has more than five wins since September, and they struggled with many of those lightweights. The vaunted defense ranks near the bottom in forcing INTs; only Denver has fewer. Teams aren?t buying into the Jets? self-confident hype, and it turns out that maybe The Sanchize just isn?t ready to back it all up. They have little time to lick their wounds. Road games at Pittsburgh and Chicago loom in the next two weeks, both of whom have very good defenses and won?t have any fear of the Jets. Let?s say for argument?s sake the Jets lose both games, as they won?t be favored in either. That makes them 9-6 headed into their finale hosting Buffalo. They could be in a position where they must win and need Houston to beat Jacksonville and/or Oakland to beat Kansas City just to make the final Wild Card. Much like with Green Bay, that is an inconceivable notion that would leave Inigo Montoya?s head spinning. $.06-- San Diego served notice that December is still their month, and the AFC West is still under their reign. Their 31-0 pounding of the first-place Chiefs left little doubt as to which is the best team in the division, even if KC still holds a one-game lead. Philip Rivers reinserted himself into the MVP picture, efficiently spreading the ball all around, over, and through the Chiefs talented young secondary. Rookie RB Ryan Mathews finally showed some life, feeding off Mike Tolbert?s bowling ball style nicely. But it was the San Diego defense that made the real statement. Kansas City managed just five first downs and failed to convert any of their 11 third down chances. Backup QB Brodie Croyle netted just 19 yards passing and actually produced negative yardage on 1st downs. They had only one play in the second half that went for more than 10 yards. San Diego so thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage that the Chargers safeties made just four tackles all game; most safety groups hit double-digit tackles sometime in the early 3rd quarter. It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs respond. They have the built-in excuse of Matt Cassel?s appendectomy to fall back on, but they played like they were using that excuse already. Getting so thoroughly crushed in such a critical game can do strange things to teams--look at the Jets today. KC gets a tricky draw next week in heading to St. Louis to face a Rams team that desperately needs to win in their own right. They cannot afford another slip-up, not when San Diego finishes its schedule with three teams that have a combined 10 wins. $.07-- It must be very difficult to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. They have so much sizzle, such awesome big-play potential, and a plethora of exciting talent. Yet they often struggle to get the gun out of the holster without first shooting a hole in their own feet. The Eagles are quite the picture of frustration. DeSean Jackson makes a beautiful TD catch and run, but tops it off by showboating his way to a taunting penalty. LeSean McCoy has stretches where he looks like Tony Dorsett (the second half of the Sunday Night game) but punctuates them with apathetic runs where he can?t get out of his own blockers way. Mike Vick is having one of the most dynamic seasons by a quarterback ever, but even in his great play he misses wide open reads more than you might think. They?re an incredibly obnoxious bunch, albeit a very talented one, that makes them hard to take seriously. They should be taken very seriously. Their secondary remains problematic, but (channeling Dick Enberg) my oh my, what an offense! It still amazes me that Jeremy Maclin, a world-class sprinter, is the ?slow? guy amongst their skill position players on offense. They can strike from anywhere on the field, but just as importantly they aren?t afraid to try and do so. That makes them terribly dangerous, but also quite vulnerable to short drives and frequently losing the field position battles. The inane, immature penalties don?t help. But because they dance on that glass so frequently, they are a lot more comfortable on that edge than anyone they will face in the playoffs. $.08--5 quickies: 1. CBS spent ample time covering a dust-up between Carson Palmer and TO after Troy Polamalu?s incredible pick-six. What I never heard mentioned was that even if TO had run the route where Palmer expected him, Polamalu still would have beaten him there. TO takes a whole lot of justified criticism, but it?s not his fault when the QB telegraphs every throw from the second he gets the snap. And credit Polamalu for a fantastic anticipation and read, something else the normally strong Dan Dierdorf completely ignored. To his credit, Deirdorf was all over it when Palmer did the exact same thing on the Woodley pick-six?and the second Polamalu pick. Cincy cannot go forward with Carson Palmer as their QB; they might continue with him, but they won?t go forward. 2. In the latest version of my mock draft, I had the Panthers taking Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the #1 overall pick. This is despite the fact that Carolina drafted three QBs last April, most notably Jimmy Clausen in the 2nd round. After watching Clausen against the Falcons, there?s no doubt that QB is still Carolina?s primary need. The Notre Dame product is inaccurate even with ample time, rushes throws with flat-footed delivery, and gives the impression he?s playing very scared. From what I?ve seen this season, Clausen isn?t even close to Brady Quinn in terms of NFL ability--and Quinn is Denver?s 3rd stringer only because nobody would give a 7th round pick for him. 3. Got texts during the Browns/Bills games from three different people that essentially said the same thing, ?Colt McCoy cannot come back soon enough!? Buffalo did not win that game, Jake Delhomme lost it for the Browns. Peyton Hillis? fumblitis didn?t help either. 4. Cincinnati isn?t the only faltering team that needs to replace a venerable veteran QB. Seattle simply cannot go forward with Matt Hasselbeck making egregious decisions. What struck me is that Pete Carroll is a guy that has no qualms about constantly turning over his roster, yet he stubbornly stuck with an obviously awful Hasselbeck instead of yanking him for Charlie Whitehurst. 5. Arizona, a team that hadn?t won in nearly two months and was starting their 3rd QB in rookie John Skelton, pummeled Denver. This means interim coaches are now 2-1 for the season, proving that if you?re going to fire a coach in-season you had better have someone the players actually want to replace him as the interim. Say what you will about Josh McDaniels being in way over his head as Broncos coach, but the guy at least devised a strong offense. That apparently went away with him. $.09--5 college/draft quickies: 1. I have no quarrel with Cam Newton bagging all these awards, not when the NCAA deemed him eligible after an investigation. He was clearly the best, and most important, college football player in 2010. Next for Newton is keeping his story straight while every NFL team digs into him as part of what looks to be the most hurried scouting evaluation process for a top-10 pick (and yes, he will absolutely be a top 10 pick!). Even the most seasoned area scouts barely had Newton on their radar just six months ago. 2. With the ongoing conference musical chairs, now is the perfect time for college football to further distance itself from the NCAA and strike out on its own. The allure of the BCS has essentially killed the WAC, with Hawaii announcing they are joining Boise State and Fresno State in leaving for the Mountain West, which had to quickly replace TCU after already losing Utah and BYU. If the major football power conferences decided to discard NCAA oversight and operate on their own, they could stage a championship tournament that would bring in billions above what the current bowl/BCS system generates. They could also stop the ridiculous recruiting snafus and pay their players a stipend without having the NCAA overlords threaten major sanctions for a grad assistant coach buying a player a taco. 3. Florida hired Will Muschamp away from Texas to replace Urban Meyer. I like his scheming, but much like with Meyer, I worry about player development, particularly on defense. Meyer recruited the best and never really had to worry much about coaching them into better players, and that?s an allegation often thrown at Muschamp in Austin. The NFL is littered with Gators defenders that haven?t come close to draft status, and there are more than a few Longhorn defenders that fit that bill too. Having said that, the mood emanating from Austin is doom and gloom, as Mack Brown must now replace his entire staff after a terrible season; Muschamp took highly regarded prot?g? (and former Longhorn hero) Major Applewhite with him. 4. Spent some time this week breaking down a couple of Oklahoma defenders. LB Travis Lewis strikes me as a much better collegian than NFL prospect. He?s very narrow and lacks the strength and power to compete against the bigger/stronger NFL competition, and he?s not an elite athlete to compensate with quickness/speed. He?s a great leader with exceptional instincts, which means he?ll be that much harder to knock down in terms of draft stock, but I don?t see anything but a reserve LB and special teamer. Meanwhile, DE Jeremy Beal impressed me more than I expected. He?s not a big-time pass rusher but I really like his all-around game. He can play end, he can stand up and move around, he can cover in space, and he has enough power to crash inside if needed. Because he best projects as a 4-3 LDE or a 3-4 LOLB he won?t be highly touted and could last until well into the second round, but he should be a strong asset and above-average starter for years in the NFL. 5. I know most people probably haven?t even heard of the school, but here?s a hearty congratulations to Texas Southern University for winning the SWAC title game. The SWAC is comprised of HBCU?s (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) and is sort of the MAC of Division I-AA. Texas Southern has been the doormat of that lowly conference for nearly 40 years, including a run of at least eight losses in 20 of the 23 seasons between 1985-2008. They installed a proud alumnus as coach, scoured the discard pile and non-traditional students for high-effort guys that needed someone to believe in them, and now they have a conference title. Here?s one for the historically downtrodden! $.10-- I watch very little non-sports television. My viewing habits are essentially sports, ?Family Guy? and ?King of the Hill? on Cartoon Network, some morning & evening news, and historical documentaries or nature shows. I loathe network drivel and reality television, save one shining beacon: ?The Amazing Race?. That program concluded another season Sunday night, with the first-ever all-female winning team. If you don?t watch the show, it?s a race around the world that involves performing challenges of all kinds of skills. Teams have to be smart, poised, versatile, mentally tough, and athletic enough to handle activity in extreme climates. There is little reason why teams of two women can?t beat teams of two men. A good bit of the race is luck--with cab drivers, with getting challenges that have some familiarity for one of the competitors, or with another team melting down. The thing that really struck me this season is that both the 1st and 2nd place teams were the most consistently composed teams. I expected that from Nat and Kat, the doctors that won. I did not expect that from home shopping hosts Brooke and Claire, who are probably my favorite AR team of all time. I love how they traveled the world on their terms, having fun and spreading their good-natured charm and joy de vivre while also flashing some serious competitiveness. If you?ve ever seen me play volleyball, that?s how I try to compete, and it?s how I want my kids to act while competing. I?ll try and remember that the next time I?m ?old big white guy? at pick-up basketball at the gym, too intense to smile or enjoy it.