$.01--Of all the developments of one of the more intriguing weekends of football in a long time, something that happened off the field stands to be the most significant. The NFL announced that the Competition Committee, the progenitors of all changes to the game, will consider eliminating all blocks below the waist anywhere on the field.

I simultaneously applaud and loathe this development, which extolls how controversial and touchy this subject is going to be going forward. After years of layering all sorts of restrictions on what defensive players can do to offensive players, it’s about damn time the NFL took some measures to protect the defensive players. Far too many players suffer severe injuries thanks to low blocks, cut blocks, and chop blocks. Here in Houston, Texans fans bemoan the illegal cut block that took Brian Cushing out for the season. Defensive players are more aghast that Matt Slauson’s intentional hit that took out Cushing’s knee and threatens his career drew just a $10K fine, or less than a player would get for wearing mismatching socks, while defenders routinely get fined three times that amount for inadvertent contact with a helmet they’re trying to avoid.

So in that spirit of equality, I love that the NFL is finally evening up the playing field. If they are truly concerned about player safety, it must be the safety of all players, not just the offensive skill positions, this potential new regulation is overdue. You can’t watch even one half of any NFL game without seeing a defensive player carted off the field as a direct result of a low block, be it legal or not. Having someone dive full force at your knee or shin while you are running at full speed is about as perilous of a situation as you can create for an athlete, and knee injuries are far too career and potentially life-altering to ignore.

Yet, I also hate the direction this move takes the league and the game. Football is inherently violent, and the players know that going in. These sorts of blocks predate the forward pass and are deeply ingrained into the game itself, and defensive players know it’s a necessary evil part of their job that they might get cut or chopped. Cut blocks are such an integral part of what so many offenses do that it’s hard to fathom the impact on offenses. The quick slant behind the defensive end is basically eliminated if the tackle can’t cut down the end. Wide receivers often go low on downfield blocks to compensate for being outweighed and outmuscled. Offensive tackles routinely chop block with the guard and cut low to seal the edge for a runner.

I think that if this rule passes, and early fingers in the wind seem to indicate it will, you are going to see a further decline in the importance and effectiveness of running the football. This pushes the league even more towards the intramural flag football you see on college campuses, with the quarterback completely untouchable and offenses throwing the ball more than 80% of the time. For runners that don’t get north/south right away, this rule change essentially ends their careers (looking at you, Chris Johnson) because the edge defenders won’t be on the ground or worried about getting cut as they pursue. I also think this has the consequence of putting quarterback in more danger, and that means the league edges closer to John Madden’s prediction that the quarterback will not be allowed to be touched at all within five years. It’s coming people, like it or not… 

$.02--Atlanta escaped Tampa Bay with a 24-23 win to all but wrap up the NFC South and dampen the enthusiasm for the resurgent Bucs for a week. The Falcons are now 10-1, yet playing in close games like this begs the question about the legitimacy of that record.

I think the record speaks for itself. I wonder how it can be a bad thing that a team keeps winning close games, especially divisional road games against a hot opponent. I wonder how a team with Julio Jones playing at the level he did on Sunday, with Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez as the other receiving options, can somehow be fraudulent. I wonder why so many continue to doubt Matt Ryan when he just keeps engineering comeback after comeback, and does so with such confidence and enthusiasm.

That game-winning drive was absolute mastery by Ryan. He started the drive by moving the Falcons from their own 36 to the Tampa five with four straight completions, each of which was a dead solid perfect throw. Michael Turner capped it off with a three yard TD that put the Falcons ahead for good. But there was still time on the clock, and all that wondering I did above suddenly looked so clear because the Falcons tried very hard to give it back.

Playing with corners Dunta Robinson and Asante Samuel both sidelined, the Falcons defense gave up a competent drive by Josh Freeman and the Bucs. The drive stalled, and Tampa kicker Connor Barth missed a 56-yarder. Bullet dodged for Atlanta, but they reloaded the gun and handed it back to Freeman. Falcons coach Mike Smith got a little too conservative in his attempt to run out the clock, and former Bucs kicker Matt Bryant missed a field goal of his own. That gave the Bucs one last chance, but Freeman’s final heave fell harmlessly to the turf. 

So it goes with Atlanta. They have played just one game in the last two months that was decided by more than a touchdown, including close shave wins over the likes of Oakland, Carolina, and Arizona. There is playing to the level of competition and there is just not being that great. Atlanta gets a chance to prove they are legit on Thursday night against the Saints, the team that hung the one loss on them this year. Blow them out in the Georgia Dome, which is eminently possible, and the doubters will pipe down, but another narrow win will go a long way towards proving that the Falcons just aren’t as great as their record says they are.

$.03--Houston beat Detroit in the early Thanksgiving game in a game that will be more remembered for one of the biggest officiating blunders in NFL history. The officials, who were lousy all game long, laid a giant turkey egg on a play so ridiculous that it will foster a rule change.

Texans RB Justin Forsett ran the ball and got tackled by two Lions, except not one of the seven officials on the field saw Forsett’s knee and elbow hit the ground while under contact with a Lions player. Not one. Of all the examples of inept officiating, it’s hard to find a more egregious example of gross incompetence by the men in black and white stripes. As Forsett smartly just kept running all the way to the end zone, Lions coach Jim Schwartz lost his head, and that’s where the fun really begins.

Because all scoring plays are automatically subject to booth review, it immediately became a penalty when Schwartz threw his challenge flag. Any time a coach tries to challenge in a situation that cannot be challenged, it’s a penalty. That’s a good rule and Schwartz is a moron for not keeping his composure and knowing the rule even in the heat of such an awful and obviously wrong ruling. But the rule that dictates that the penalty on Schwartz therefore eliminates the booth review of the score is absurd. As Adam Schefter of ESPN and others have reported, the NFL is already angling to change the rule before the playoffs begin. The better question is why this rule is on the books in the first place. It seems mighty exploitable that a coach who didn’t want a play reviewed could intentionally throw a challenge flag to prevent a booth review, a move I wouldn’t put past Jim Harbaugh or Mike Shanahan, to name two opportunistic, ruthless coaches.

Make no mistake, the Lions did not lose directly because of the play. They lost because they failed to capitalize on numerous other opportunities. In short, this game was a nice nutshell summation of why Houston is 10-1 and Detroit is 4-7 despite being so closely matched. Good teams don’t make the kind of mistakes that the Lions continually do, from the head coach to the tight end to the backup safety to the ancient kicker. But it sure would be nice if the officials did their jobs better than a bad JV high school crew. 

$.04--Perhaps no play encapsulates a team’s season better than Mark Sanchez fumbling after charging head first into right guard Brandon Moore’s considerable behind, which Pats DB Steve Gregory scooped up and took to the house for a stunning 21-0 lead. At that point the game, and the Jets season, was over, but that didn’t stop the Patriots from adding to the misery. Joe McKnight fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Julian Edelman recovered and ran back for the third New England touchdown in less than a minute.

Of course, it didn’t stop there either. New England doesn’t know the meaning of the word “deceleration” and probably wouldn’t consider it anyways given the opponent on Thursday. This was a statement by the Patriots that talk is cheaper than Bill Belichick’s wardrobe, and it smacks J-E-T-S fans squarely in the teeth. New England put up 35 points in the 2nd quarter and finished with 49, held to that only by a long TD drive and a brain fart fumble and safety in the early 3rd quarter.

I don’t know if the Patriots are the best team in the AFC, but I know they are the most potent offense in either league and that makes them as dangerous as anyone come playoff time. Tom Brady is solidifying his MVP credentials, flipping easily caught passes to a plethora of receivers at all lengths of the field. In this game he threw for 323 yards on just 28 attempts, with three more touchdowns and zero interceptions. For the season, Brady has 24 TDs to just 3 INTs. He’s been sacked just once in the last four games, showing how well his offensive line is working for him and giving him time to pick apart coverages. With Brady playing that well, the line looking so good, and the running back by committee functioning pretty effectively, New England is probably the last team anyone wants to see in January even if they’re not holding the better record.

$.05--In case you had any doubt about the Giants, I hope you watched their complete evisceration of the Packers on Sunday night. Eli Manning shook off some dreadful performances and lit up the depleted Green Bay defense. His receivers, notably Hakeem Nicks, got better separation than they had in weeks. They ran the ball with power and consistency, with Andre Brown looking as good as ever before. The Giants logged 148 yards at almost five yards per clip, tremendously exceeding their normal output. The line gave Eli time to order all sorts of Cyber Monday gifts for his protectors.

This is how the Giants go about their business. No team overcomes midseason swoons better than the New York football Giants. I think the bye week helped a lot, but that is giving the rest time a little too much credit. New York worked it out, just as they have so many other times under Tom Coughlin and his steady demeanor. They don’t panic anywhere in the organization, something that their stadium mates know nothing about. Eli has a bad game and it’s nothing but that, a bad game. No “get David Carr ready” chatter on message boards, no “Fire Jerry Reese” headlines in the local papers, no forced speechifying about rallying around one another or uneasy tension in team meetings or practice. They’ve driven this road before, and they know that sometimes the traffic looks terrible but staying on the interstate is smarter than jumping off on some two-lane road that meanders somewhere nearby. In this game they lost Andre Brown for the year with a broken fibula, but they won’t panic or deviate from who they are.

As for the Packers, it’s very difficult to beat good teams when you get dominated in the trenches on just about every snap. The Steelers have won pretty readily with a subpar offensive line, but it’s functional. I’m not sure this Packers OL is functional any longer. They’ve invested so much and received so little in return. 2010 first round pick Bryan Bulaga is an adequate right tackle, but gone for the year with an injury. 2011 1st round pick Derek Sherrod has yet to play a snap this year, scuttling their plans to have him start at left tackle. Jeff Saturday has been a major disappointment at center, clearly beyond his prime and nearly invisible as a run blocker. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more than any other QB, which is stunning for a player of his awareness and mobility. Some of it is Rodgers just not being decisive enough and waiting too long for downfield routes to develop, but far too many of the sacks and hits have been of the “no chance” variety. I thought it was funny how during garbage time Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels talked about how the real killer for teams at this time of year is injuries to the offensive line, but did so with apparent lack of awareness of just how much it has hurt the mighty Packers. 

$.06--Seattle lost their game to the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, but they suffered what figures to be a much more devastating loss. News broke Sunday that starting corners Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman will each be suspended for four games for violating the performance enhancing drug policy. 

No team outside the Jets (when Revis is healthy) ask their corners to do more in man coverage or to set the tone more than the Seahawks do. In Browner but especially Sherman, Seattle had the talent to pull it off. Both are physically huge for the position, but more importantly they understand how to use their size to their advantage. They love to press and get very physical with their jams, redirecting routes and disrupting timing. When paired with their strong pass rush up front, it makes the Seattle defense very formidable. Without them, everything changes.

Packers fans probably sense some poetic justice and relief here. Seattle holds the playoff tiebreaker on them courtesy that gift win from the replacement refs, but between the latest road loss and the impending suspensions, it appears the 6-5 Seahawks are going to be very hard-pressed to catch the 7-4 Packers in the Wild Card race. Sherman doesn’t get the gaudy stats but I would argue he deserves to finish in the top 10 in Defensive MVP ratings. He is a legit shutdown corner, ranking 3rd in PDs and also pulling down 4 INTs while allowing a very impressive catch rate. Browner is more physical and annoying to face off against but can be beaten more readily. Still, they will miss him terribly as well. Oft-injured Marcus Trufant steps up as the top corner, while Walter Thurmond is just coming back from injury as the new #2. Where they are really in trouble though is beyond those two. 6th round pick Jeremy Lane and seldom-used Byron Maxwell will be asked to make huge leaps in responsibility in the midst of a playoff race for a team that has major issues winning away from home. Not even the faulty sprinklers at Sun Life Stadium can wash away that problem for Seattle.

$.07--Awards

Offense: Robert Griffin. In a very tough week to single out just one player, RGIII’s performance in the romp against Dallas takes the cake, err, pumpkin pie. 20-for-28, 311 yards, 4 TDs, plus another 29 yards rushing that picked up 4 first downs. He edges BenJarvis Green Ellis, Andre Johnson, Tom Brady, and Eli Manning, among many others who had mighty impressive outputs.

Defense: Steve Gregory. The Patriots safety forced a fumble, recovered two fumbles, picked off a pass, and scored a touchdown on what Jets fans are referring to as Assgate. That edges out Janoris Jenkins, who became the first Rams player to ever have two pick-sixes in a game, and Ahmad Brooks of the Niners for the honor. 

Special Teams: Leon Washington. Seattle lost in Miami but you cannot fault Washington, who singlehandedly kept them in the game with a 98-yard kick return to the house. He also had two decent punt returns. Special mention to Julius Peppers for blocking a short field goal for the Bears.

Assistant Coach: Perry Fewell. The Giants defensive coordinator had his troops ready for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, and they attacked repeatedly and effectively all night long. After Corey Webster got caught guessing on the long early Jordy Nelson TD, it seemed like every other gamble the G-Men took defensively paid off. That doesn’t happen wthout excellent preparation and mastery of game tape.

$.08--5 NFL Quickies

1. In $.04, I stated that no play sums up a team better than The Sanchize fumbling after running into his own lineman, but the Chargers gave the Jets some competition. Up 13-10, San Diego forced 4th and 29 with under two minutes remaining. In 9,999 out of 10,000 instances, that means game over. Not for these Norv Turner Chargers. Ray Rice caught a dumpoff and sashayed his way for 30 yards and the conversion. That led to the tying field goal and ultimately the overtime home loss for San Diego. Worse, on the 4th down abomination, star safety Eric Weddle got a concussion and could miss time. Major changes are coming this offseason for the Chargers.

2. I’d like to give Janoris Jenkins more credit for his two pick sixes, but the Rams rookie CB barely had to do anything on one of them. Cardinals rookie QB Ryan Lindley underthrew Larry Fitzgerald by a good 8 yards and right to the awaiting Jenkins. Someday this rookie QB class might be regarded as the best ever, but Lindley will not be a part of that conversation. It’s downright amazing how inept the Cardinals are at finding and developing quarterbacks, and it could cost Ken Whisenhunt.

3. How many turnovers does it take to help Cleveland beat Pittsburgh? The answer is eight, and the Browns needed every one of them to pull off the rare win over their perceived rival. There were so many backups playing for Pittsburgh that even the game commentators struggled to keep up with who was who.

4. I loved seeing the Colts' cheerleaders getting their heads shaved in honor of Coach Pagano. That kind of pervasive team unity demonstrates the winning culture in Indianapolis and why they won’t be down for long. They’re overachieving this year at 7-4, but the emotions and experience of what this team is going through with a winning lining will make them even more dangerous as they fill the holes on defense this offseason. Bald was definitely beautiful in this instance.

5. Jacksonville nipped Tennessee, thus turning over the driver’s seat to Kansas City for the #1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Jaguars have been much more competitive since Chad Henne took over for the injured Blaine Gabbert, enough so that they could get on a little run here. They play the entire AFC East over the next four weeks and there is no reason they can’t win at least two of those before the inevitable 33 point loss to New England. They could conceivably wind up picking behind five or six other teams. I’m not sure if that’s good news or bad news for Jaguars fans.

6. Bonus quickie! The Bears sacked Christian Ponder on the first play from scrimmage in their romp over the Vikings, and it went downhill from there for Ponder. Once again the Minnesota QB looked perplexed, overwhelmed, and inaccurate, enough that several Twitter-ers took to calling for Joe Webb to take over. Vikes fans: this is who Ponder has always been, a total feast or famine guy from week to week. Nice win for the Bears, though the injury tally is scary.

$.09--5 College/Draft Quickies

1. Like it or not, Notre Dame is going to play for the national title. They escaped USC with a narrow 22-13 thanks to a brilliant goal-line stand with just over two minutes remaining. Their MVP for the night was not Heisman candidate LB Manti Teo but rather kicker Kyle Brindza, who booted five field goals, including a big 52-yarder at the end of the first half. This was just the kind of win that Brian Kelly’s Grand Valley teams used to produce in the D-II playoffs, and you’re fooling yourself if you don’t think the formula will work against either Georgia or Alabama. Without even knowing the line, or the opponent, for the BCS Championship game, take Notre Dame and the points they’ll be given. You’re welcome…

2. Manti Teo just might have won the Heisman with his interception, but beyond that I really loved what I saw from a scouting perspective. One trait that always bothers me about inside linebackers in college is their tendency to get too much credit for being the second guy into a tackle. Not Teo; he attacks the hole and wins battles as well as any collegiate linebacker I’ve seen since my hero, Chris Speilman. But he’s not just a north/south between the tackles thumper, as he has proven with his INTs and plays in coverage. His ability to make impact plays vaults him well past last year’s top LB prospect, Luke Kuechly, and Teo is the rare inside backer I would consider worthy of a top 10 overall pick.

3. Ohio State beat Michigan to finish their season 12-0, the first perfect ledger since they won the national title a decade ago. Of course it counts for naught, as the Buckeyes are ineligible for postseason play or BCS rankings. While I find it patently unfair that the current crop of players and coaches is paying for the sins of their predecessors, it’s probably a good thing that Ohio State won’t be playing in a BCS bowl. To be blunt, they’d get killed by the likes of Florida or Kansas State or even Stanford, let alone Notre Dame or the SEC champ. This was the worst collective year of Big Ten football in my 40 years on the planet, a season where Ohio State was the only B1G team that would win the MAC.

4. Speaking of #MACtion, congrats to Kent State for winning its 10th game in a row and advancing to the MAC title game against Northern Illinois, which has won 11 in a row since losing by a point at Iowa in the opener. Kent got there by knocking out my walking wounded Ohio Bobcats, who started 8-0 before losing more than half the starters on the team to injuries over the last month. Had KSU not inexplicably fallen to Kentucky, the Golden Flashes could very well have crashed the BCS. For those looking for up-and-coming coaches, Darell Hazell should be near the top of the list. If he can win at Kent Read, Kent Write, Kent State, the former Jim Tressel lieutenant has proven he deserves a shot on a bigger stage. Those Kentucky Wildcats would be smart to strongly consider him.

5. In a preseason forecast, I extolled the great potential of Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas. Both he and the Hokies slogged through a down season, barely beating a bad Virginia team to get to six wins and bowl eligibility. Thomas looked nothing like a first round pick all season, and often looked like a guy who probably shouldn’t be drafted. He threw 14 INTs and had several more dropped, and his completion percentage of 52.6 actually seems high when compared to the game film I watched. He was indecisive, erratic, and slow to read coverages if he read them at all. Still, it sounds as if Thomas is going to declare early for the draft…and I think if he does some team is going to get a steal in the middle rounds. Thomas was stymied in no small part by the limited VT offense, ineffective coaching and a poor supporting cast. I still believe Thomas has a higher ceiling than Matt Barkley or Tyler Wilson or any QB not named Geno Smith in this draft, but it’s a lot riskier a proposition now than I expected.

$.10--I know Thanksgiving is in the past and everyone is now focused on Christmas, but I like to try and keep the spirit of Thanksgiving flowing a little longer. Taking all that we’ve been given for granted is unfortunately the American way, and I’m as guilty of that as anyone. I’m going to try and be more grateful and content with all that I have instead of coveting what I don’t need.

I’m incredibly thankful that football is such a part of my life from such an early age. I remember gathering around the TV as a preschooler, watching the games with my grandparents and extended family. I remember OJ Simpson’s outstanding Thanksgiving game, and I still remember my Great Aunt Irene teaching me the proper way to mix a Manhattan during the Dallas/Denver Super Bowl when I was five. I’m thankful that my family facilitated my love of pigskin, allowing me to stay up late to watch the first half of Monday Night Football even when I was a grade schooler living in the Eastern Time Zone. They even allowed me to become a Lions fan while growing up in a decidedly orange and brown area of greater Cleveland.

I’m grateful to my dad for taking me to so many Ohio State games when I was a kid. The seats were uncomfortable, it seemed to rain or snow almost every time, and we had to get up very early to make the 2.5 hour drive to Columbus for kickoff, but I loved every minute of it. I’m thankful that he took the time to stop at the same ice cream stand outside of Ashland on Route 60 every single time we came home. My dad and I still bond over football some 30+ years later today, and I’m very thankful I got to spend Thanksgiving Day watching the games with him, my brother from South Carolina, and my sister and her new baby Jacob and all our families. We so seldom get to all be together, and it was great just being family and catching some football together again.

Thanks to all of you who take the time to read my efforts. You have many choices for your leisure reading, and I am grateful to spend a little of that time with you. I’m thankful to RealGM for giving me a forum where I can share my opinions. I’m also thankful to the folks at USA Today Sports Digital Properties for giving me another place to contribute, the brand new DetroitLionsDraft.com. Most of all, I’m thankful to my loving and incredibly tolerant wife of 16 years, Julie, for enduring my frequent trips to football games, scouting events, and for disappearing from the face of the family for nearly half the weekends on the calendar to pursue my passion for pigskin. Not many women would put up with that, but Julie does so with minimal grumbling. She even suggested we stop to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday night as we drove from Cleveland to Houston so I could catch the LSU/Arkansas game. Thank you.