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Week 8 Observations

  • The Giants are broken right now, and it's unclear how long they will take to fix. Eli Manning insists his foot isn't bothering him, but the entire team on both sides of the ball is out of sync. The home game against the Chargers next week might be just what the doctor ordered for the offense, but unless the Giants generate a bigger pass rush, find a solution at free safety and get linebacker Michael Boley back to help out in coverage, Philip Rivers will light them up. No one on the team except Corey Webster (and occasionally Terrell Thomas) can cover anyone right now.

  • Steve Slaton fumbled in the wrong game - the Bills are good against the pass, terrible against the run, and so Slaton cost himself and his owners what would have been his most productive game all season. Ryan Moats took advantage, and it's likely both will be in the mix to some degree, and Chris Brown could still see goal-line work. I'd still target Slaton if his owner has soured on him - he's the best back the Texans have, and the team is a legitimate playoff contender. Like Pierre Thomas, his situation is frustrating, but he's on a tremendous offensive team, and the upside is still there.

  • Larry Fitzgerald has turned into T.J. Houshmandzadeh, while Tim Hightower leads all backs with 39 receptions in seven games. I can't believe that this is due simply to increased coverage on Fitzgerald - why didn't the teams Arizona faced in the playoffs last year simply increase the coverage? It has to be on the offensive line and Kurt Warner needing to get rid of the ball too quickly. Elite receivers often get the maximum possible coverage. If the Cardinals can give Warner time - like they were able to against the Steelers in the Super Bowl - Fitzgerald will make the big plays that are missing from his production so far this season. If and when that happens, the battle for carries between Chris Wells and Hightower will matter a lot more.

  • Vince Young looked like the version from his rookie year, making good decisions on whether to run or pass, and throwing accurately enough when receivers were open. As long as Tennessee's defense plays more like it did this week - pressure on the quarterback, no breakdowns in the secondary - and Young isn't playing from way behind, he could be a viable fantasy quarterback going forward as it looked like the Titans were giving him freedom to use his legs and not forcing him to be a conventional pocket passer. Give Jeff Fisher credit for not sulking and getting his team ready like a pro after owner Bud Adams meddled by insisting Vince Young get the start. How many coaches of Fisher's stature would go about their business while not making a peep after the owner overruled him on something like that?

  • Alex Smith held his own on the road against a tough pass defense. He should only get better as the season goes on and Michael Crabtree gets more experience.

  • The Vikings were simply too well-rounded for the Packers from the pass rush, to the running game to their diverse passing attack. While they were lucky to beat the Ravens on a missed FG, they were unlucky to lose in Pittsburgh and could easily be undefeated despite a tough schedule. I see them as the class of the NFC in the second half as I trust their outdoor game more than that of the Saints.

  • Maurice Jones-Drew had eight carries for 177 yards, two touchdowns and no fumbles Sunday, while David Garrard had 27 passing attempts for 139 yards no touchdowns, three sacks and two picks. Draw your own conclusions about the play calling.

  • I don't see any reason to get excited about Anthony Gonzalez's impending return to the Colts. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will be Peyton Manning's first two looks, and Austin Collie is effective as a possession guy. Maybe Gonzalez takes Pierre Garcon's role, but the upside there is minimal if everyone stays healthy.

  • I hate to admit it, but Thomas Jones is likely to finish as a top-10 back again this season - he's reliable, durable and in a good situation. I wouldn't write off Shonn Greene after one bad game, but Jones will get his share of touches no matter what Greene does.

  • Thirty-two year old Ricky Williams had a quiet game, but looks as powerful and fast as ever. Talking time off to smoke weed has obviously preserved his youth and extended his career.

  • Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had some choice words for RotoWire's Dalton Del Don on Sunday. While DDD often touts his resemblance to Jay Cutler, the guy who Cutler reminds me most of is this ***hole

  • If the season ended today, Brett Favre would deserve MVP consideration (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees would likely beat him out), and that would be true even without all the hype about going into Lambeau and beating his old team. Shame on all the news outlets who treated his uncertain return from a legitimate arm injury as the annoying and desperate ploy of an over the hill athlete. The same outlets that lavished praise (deserved or not) without conscience on him for 15 years were the ones making the drama by covering it 24/7 and also mocking him for it. Thankfully, Favre ignored all those idiots and didn't leave another great season or two on the table. (I'm similarly happy for Alex Rodriguez who like Favre is truly enjoying the game in spite of all the bloodthirsty media types who tried to bury him).

    • Comments

    By: taborp
    On: 11/2/2009 11:35:00 AM    		 You're right Liss, Hellmuth and Cutler were probably cut from the same cloth. At least Hellmuth has earned his arrogance (at least in hold'em). So far, Cutler has looked good, but not great. After one game, do you think Vince Young or Trent Edwards has the most upside going forward? My gut says VY, but maybe my days at UTexas are creating some bias. I'm curious what you and Stopa think.
     
    By: Kevin Payne
    On: 11/2/2009 12:08:00 PM    		 The Giants just aren't that good of a team. Their wins-Dallas, Wash, KC, Oak, TB. One win against a quality team out of five. The problem is early on we didn't know that those teams were that bad giving the illusion that the Giants were really good. They have a legit shot at missing the playoffs, playing in their division plus games against SD, Minn, Atl, and Denver.
     
    By: Chris Liss
    On: 11/2/2009 12:24:00 PM    		 I'd rather roll the dice on Vince Young than Trent Edwards personally. I just don't see Edwards' upside. As for the Giants, they haven't played well of late, but I'd stay away from that "they're not a good team" analysis. They weren't a good team at this point two years ago, either, but they won the SB. You have to ask whether the pieces are in place, and they are. They're very dangerous if they get in sync. The problem is the quarterback and the safety position. One thing they'll likely do is move Aaron Ross or Terrell Thomas to safety when Ross comes back and get a huge upgrade in pass coverage. Boley's return gives them their best coverage linebacker. And Chris Canty will give them more depth in the middle and free up the rushers. Eli has his ups and downs, but the loss of Kenny Phillips, Boley and Ross has kept opposing defenses fresh and able to take chances as they're playing with leads. But don't sleep on the Giants - with Tuck, Osi, Canty, Kiwi, the O-line, the backs, the emerging receivers, this team is capable of going deep into the playoffs. Whether they get it together soon enough, is hard to say.

     
    By: iceguy
    On: 11/2/2009 12:34:00 PM    		 No need to trust the "outdoor game" of the Saints. 2 of their remaining road games are in domes (St Louis and Atlanta) and two are NFC South opp's (Tampa and Carolina). Only a trip to Washington in week 13 (Dec 6th) has a chance to be a bad weather game.

    And even if Minnesota can overtake them in the regular season, it's not likely anyone overtakes NO for the 2nd seed, which would mean their only road playoff game could be in a dome in Minnesota.
     
    By: Chris Liss
    On: 11/2/2009 12:48:00 PM    		 That's a good point, though I think at Carolina and Washington could be a problem later in the year. And they could lose to Atlanta once or twice, too, and even drop a game at home to Carolina or some other team. If that happens, they could slip to the No. 3 seed, though it's hard to see the Eagles, Cowboys or Giants catching fire and passing them. I think an Atlanta sweep is the biggest chance for New Orleans to drop out of a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Chances are they're between 12-4 and 14-2, which is almost certainly a bye, but there's a lot of football left.
     
    By: andtinez
    On: 11/2/2009 1:30:00 PM    		 I'm happy Slaton got benched because he really needs to address his fumbling problem. Either he's not suited for this zone blocking scheme or the Texans aren't well suited to run it (or maybe both). All I know is the Texans need to run the ball more effectively and if that means Moats getting healthy on the Bills, then so be it. I'm a Texans fan first, so I hope they figure out the run game, no matter who is carrying the ball. I'll worry about Slaton and his fantasy production later. In other news, I'm pretty bummed about Owen Daniels. He had a trip to the Pro Bowl locked up and a first team All Pro on the horizon. Hopefully James Casey can produce like he did at Rice.
     
    By: andtinez
    On: 11/2/2009 1:53:00 PM    		 Well scratch James Casey too, he's out for 2 games after surgery. Who wants to play TE for the Texans? Anyone? You can gain fantasy relevance in no time.
     
    By: ephinz
    On: 11/2/2009 2:26:00 PM    		 Absolutely agree on Jones. Add him to Ray Rice as arguments for drafting RB later.
     
    By: Chris Liss
    On: 11/2/2009 4:27:00 PM    		 I agree that benching Slaton that game was the right thing to do - after a certain point, there have to be consequences to being lax with the ball. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't get another shot on a short leash. It's odd because he only fumbled twice last year.
     
    By: Scott Pianowski
    On: 11/2/2009 5:11:00 PM    		 I'm not sure I understand giving Fisher props for "not making a peep." What's he really going to do in this situation? Have a tirade about his owner?
     
    By: Mark Stopa
    On: 11/2/2009 5:24:00 PM    		 In theory, Edwards has more upside than VYoung. The Titans are a run-oriented team, even moreso than the Bills, and they have no good WRs. But the Bills have been so bad all season on offense, Edwards probably needs an offseason to become fantasy relevant. I'd go with Young, too.
     
    By: Chris Liss
    On: 11/2/2009 5:33:00 PM    		 Young's upside is solely due to his legs, btw. His upside as a passer is 150 yards and one TD per game. As for Fisher, I gave him props for being a pro and getting his team ready to play even though his owner meddled. He could easily have sulked and insinuated stuff to the media. Even if he got fired (and he might well anyway), he'll have a job offer tomorrow. A coach of his stature doesn't often get told which QB to start - that's something solely within the coach's purview.
     
    By: jtr5708
    On: 11/2/2009 9:06:00 PM    		 I understand your Slaton/P. Thomas comparison but I think the biggest difference is that PT did not do anything to lose the job as the featured back. Suddenly this season Steve Slaton has looked like Darnell Jefferson from "The Program" with his fumbling problems. PT lost a fumble in tonight's game but that was only the 2nd lost fumble of his 32 game career.
     
    By: jtr5708
    On: 11/2/2009 9:10:00 PM    		 I'd still take PT over Slaton for the rest of the season, and I felt that way before PT's solid game tonight. As of now there is 0:54 left and Mike Bell has 17 carries to PT's 14. I have to believe he will eventually seperate himself from the pack.
     
    By: Erickson
    On: 11/2/2009 10:03:00 PM    		 Coaches that don't get the endgame, part eleventy billion: With :54 seconds left in the game, the Falcons had the ball at the Saints' 23, down 11. Instead of kicking right there (remember, they need *two* scores), they ran three plays and 20+ seconds off the clock before settling for the field goal, gaining all of a yard in the process, without a single throw into the end zone. Some of that is execution problem (Ryan *absolutely cannot* take a sack), some of that is basic math. How badly could the Falcons have used an extra 15 seconds in that sequence after the onside kick?
     
    By: Erickson
    On: 11/2/2009 10:12:00 PM    		 Also, Matt Millen was right (there, I said it) - why did the Saints run a play on third down, instead of taking a knee? The likelihood of a first down is a helluva lot lower than a turnover.
     
    By: Chris Liss
    On: 11/2/2009 10:32:00 PM    		 All that really matters is that Atlanta covered. What a miraculous and wonderful thing! Let's not get distracted by clock management and coaching strategy once the game's main purpose was achieved. Actually the real travesty was a holding call that gave the Saints a first down that sent them on the game-winning drive. That should have been fourth down, and the Falcons should have had a chance to win it down four.
     
    By: Erickson
    On: 11/3/2009 12:18:00 AM    		 That was a hideous call, no doubt.
     

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