The 15-Play Drive

15-thoughts on week-4 in the NFL...

1. Give the Eagles fans credit. They showed class with a standing ovation for Donovan McNabb. Who knew they had any?

2. If the Bears offensive line was responsible for protecting the United States, we'd all be speaking Russian right now.

3. Aaron Rodgers is an elite quarterback, but with no running game to speak of, the Packers offense is far too one dimensional. Call the Bills about Marshawn Lynch...like today.

4. Anyone out there still believe LaDainian Tomlinson is over the hill? Didn't think so.

5. I feel for you Lions fans. Detroit has turned losing close games into a work of art. Three of their four defeats this season are by 5-points or less.

6. Maybe it's just me, but the 49ers offense didn't look any better with Mike Johnson calling plays. 7-points and 269-total yards.

7. You have to get down after that interception Nate Clements. A touchdown there is meaningless. The game is over.

8. No team is more Jekyll and Hyde than the Seahawks. At home they've scored 31 and 27 in wins over the 49ers and Chargers. On the road 14 and 3 in losses to the Broncos and Rams.

9. How many people predicted the Chiefs would be the last team without a loss? Anyone? Bueller?

10. In the week of the kicker the Jaguars Josh Scobee not only had the most impressive game winner, a 59-yarder against the Colts, he had the best celebration. Scobee told me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive, he planned that victory lap.

11. Let's be honest...the Cardinals don't have a quarterback. Anyone have Jeff Garcia's phone number?

12. The Steelers, Texans and Jets did more than just survive without the suspended Ben Roethlisberger, Brian Cushing and Santonio Holmes. They're all 3-1, and about to get key reinforcements.

13. Why do I have the feeling that I could rush for 100-yards against that Raiders defense.

14. Learn to slide Bruce Gradkowski...you'll live longer.

15. An actual T.J. Houshmandzadeh sighting. He picked the right time to emerge from the witness protection program. I almost forgot he was still in the league.

Don't Make Joe the King of Queens

The Mets have made so many mistakes over the last few seasons that David Letterman doesn't have enough room on his top ten list to name them anymore. Hiring Joe Torre would be another in a long line of errors for the franchise. It all sounds good on the surface...Torre's going to be a free agent, and he's thrived managing in the pressure cooker that is New York. He brings along credibility, a steady hand and a sterling resume. If you're thinking this is all too good to be true, it's because it is.

Let's face facts...these Mets are not the 1996 Yankees. In other words, Torre wouldn't be walking into a situation where the club is ready to win now. I'm not saying there's no talent at Citi Field, but most of it comes from the visiting clubhouse every day. Despite his track record, Torre doesn't have any fairy dust in his back pocket that's going to turn back the clock for the over-the-hill Luis Castillo...or make Carlos Beltran's knees feel any better...or heal Johan Santana's shoulder for that matter.

I also don't think Torre's in it for the long haul, and that's exactly what it might be before this team is a World Series contender again. He's 70-years old now. Will Torre really have the patience to groom the likes of Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Jenrry Mejia and Ruben Tejada? There's no quick fix here, and although they are willing to spend some money, the Mets aren't going to break the bank like one of his former employers. In case you're slow on the uptake, the Wilpons are not the Steinbrenners.

On top of everything else, Torre's personality doesn't fit what the Mets need right now. Not to compare the two, because Torre's prime rib and Jerry Manuel's ground chuck, but you'd essentially be replacing a laid back manager with another laid back manager. One thing this team must have is a motivator. There are too many players who have been far too comfortable while losing game after game and that needs to end immediately. So while I have the utmost respect for the guy, and believe there will be a spot reserved for him in Cooperstown some day, hiring Joe Tore would be yet another swing and a miss by a franchise that can't seem to keep its eye on the ball.

Put Up or Shut Up!

This might be the understatement of the year...Rex Ryan likes to talk...Possibly as much as he likes to eat. I think it's a toss up. The Jets head coach isn't shy about making bold proclamations, which has endeared him to the fan base, and earned him scorn from the opposition. Ryan is the lightning rod for a franchise that consistently made headlines this off-season with high profile additions, an extended holdout by their best player, and to cap it off, a training camp in front of the cameras on the HBO series Hard Knocks.

Along the way, Ryan has predicted a Super Bowl Championship. And come February, if he's holding the Vince Lombardi trophy, he can flip the bird to all his detractors and say, "I knew it all along." But it's a long road to Dallas, and if the Jets don't deliver, it'll be a very cold winter for Ryan who'll be looked upon as just another fat guy with a big mouth. In other words, talk is cheap. It's time to find out if there's any substance behind one of the most over hyped teams in recent memory.

There's no denying this Jets roster does have some sizzle. They added what appears to be a rejuvenated LaDainian Tomlinson to the backfield, traded for talented but troubled receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, brought in safety Brodney Pool, and even picked up renowned Jets hater Jason Taylor. But there are as many questions as there are answers.

Second year quarterback Mark Sanchez has been shaky at best this pre-season. This off a rookie year in which he threw for 20-interceptions. The team released 9-time pro bowl offensive guard Alan Faneca, and replaced him with the underwhelming Matt Slauson. Chemistry could also be an issue. With all that star power comes a number of big egos. When the games count you have to wonder if they'll all be pulling in the same direction. So in the end Rex Ryan can make all brash statements he wants, but if the team doesn't back him up with wins, J-E-T-S will stand for Just Empty Talk Stupid.

For A-Rod 600 is A-Fraud

So Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez is on the verge of joining the prestigious 600 home run club...my response, big deal! For me the A-Rod homer count, that seems to be everywhere these days, is met with a yawn. To be fair, there's no denying he's always been an enormously talented player. Rodriguez is a thirteen time all-star and three time winner of the A.L. MVP award. However, for those of you who have a selective memory, he's also a steroid cheat.

Just over a year ago, Rodriguez admitted to what for years had been speculated: he used banned substances. This revelation came after he had denied ever taking performance enhancing drugs during an interview with Katie Couric in 2007. It took a softball question and answer session with ESPN, followed weeks later by a press conference for A-Rod to finally get his story straight. Even then, he came up with some ridiculous tale about an unnamed cousin injecting him with an over the counter, yet unidentified drug "known on the streets as boli or bollee."

The whole thing sounded like an ABC after school special gone wrong with Rodriguez claiming he was "young, stupid and naive." He added that it was "hard to say" whether it gave him a competitive edge, and "all his years in New York have been clean." I hope you didn't buy all of that...if so I've got some swampland and a bridge to sell you. If the guy lied about PED's in the first place, how can I believe that he only used for two years? On top of that, why continue taking them if he wasn't sure they were really helping?

It all comes down to a matter of trust. If I don't trust that his accomplishments are legitimate, then it doesn't matter if he hits 600, 700 or 800 home runs. The way I see it, his stats are tainted. No amount of time is ever going to change that fact or wash it away. The second his unnamed cousin put that needle into his ass, A-Rod's numbers became irrelevant. I have the feeling that stings a whole lot more than the shots he was taking.

He's Not Like Mike

When it comes to basketball royalty, "His Airness" reigns supreme. Michael Jordan is the player all those who have followed are measured against. So when he speaks, like the old EF Hutton commercial goes...people listen. This week, Jordan was the latest to weigh in on Lebron James' decision to join forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, and his words were damning to the "Chosen One." "There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry (Bird), called up Magic (Johnson) and said let's get together and play on one team. I was trying to beat those guys."

Those comments confirmed what I've been saying all along. A competitor like Jordan, Bird, Magic or even Kobe doesn't want to team up with you. They aren't interested in the whole buddy/buddy thing. Special players with that kind of makeup want to beat you plain and simple. Not only that, they're driven by the challenge. Bird and Magic pushed each other without even knowing it. Jordan was consumed by idea of achieving more than either Bird or Magic, and then dethroning the Isiah Thomas led Pistons.

In contrast, LeBron wants his hand held and someone to make sure he looks both ways before crossing the street. Sure he'd like a title or ten, but he doesn't care about beating the best in order to be the best. He'd rather become Dwayne Wade's wingman in Miami, if that means getting a ring. So instead to trying to lead the Cavaliers past the Celtics and Lakers of the world, he'll play Robin to Wade's Batman. And that's fine, as long as he understands what it means for his legacy.

No longer will he ever be mentioned in the same breath as an immortal like Jordan. That conversation is over. LeBron can win multiple titles with the Heat, but in the grand scheme of things, it won't matter. He'll be doing so on Wade's team and in Wade's town. They won't be building any King James statues outside of American Airlines Arena. Maybe it's fitting that LeBron is changing his number from Jordan's 23 to 6, because the fact of the matter is, they don't have anything in common anymore.

No Moral Victories

The band-wagon is nearly empty again in the United States with a 2-1 loss to Ghana in the knockout stage of the World Cup sending many so called soccer fans back into hiding. And while their resiliency, plus their success made this Team USA squad easy to root for, in the end they can only be described as disappointing. 20-years ago advancing to the round of 16 would have been an overwhelming success..now it's simply not good enough.

When ESPN analyst John Harkes stated we should be "proud" of Team USA during the final moments of the Ghana match, I nearly lost it. Proud of what? They essentially played one good half in what what was a winnable game. I found their performance far more agitating than those vuvuzela horns ever could be. For the third time in four games, they put themselves behind the eight ball by allowing an early goal. They were slow, sloppy and disorganized in the first 45-minutes, and the decision by head coach Bob Bradley to start Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley proved to be a disaster.

Like John McClane in "Die Hard", the U.S. always seemed to be able to bounce back, which was part of their charm. However, you can't yell out "Yippee Ki Yay!" every time and expect the result to end in your favor. So after tying the game on a second half penalty kick by Landon Donovan, and thoroughly outclassing Ghana, the United States simply ran out of steam. In the process, they missed out on a tremendous opportunity here.

This was a chance to keep soccer in the mainstream for at least another week if not longer. Team USA actually had people paying attention to the sport, no small feat in this country. On top of that, the road to the semifinals was paved in gold with Ghana, and then Uruguay to deal with. I'm not saying those are easy teams to get past, but they are manageable games. They weren't taking on the likes of Brazil just yet. So excuse me if I'm not throwing bouquets, and giving the United States a pat on the back. Instead of front page news, their World Cup exit has for many, put soccer back into the storage closet. See most of you in another 4-years.

This Bud's For You

Repeat after me...Upon further review, the runner did not reach 1st base before the ball arrived. Simple, straightforward, and a phrase that would've saved umpire Jim Joyce a whole lot of grief. Unfortunately for Joyce and Major League Baseball, checking the replay, and then uttering those words wasn't an option Wednesday night. Instead, Tigers righty Armando Galarraga's perfect game went up in smoke with 2-outs in the 9th inning, when Joyce ruled that Indians shortstop Jason Donald beat the throw for an infield single.

There's no way to sugarcoat this...Joyce blew the call! You, me, my dead grandmother- we all know he blew the call. Joyce even admitted his error in judgement afterwards. He apologized to Galarraga, gave him a hug and stated, "I just cost that kid a perfect game." But no matter how many times he points the finger at himself and takes the blame, Joyce can't change the fact that Galarraga's perfecto officially went into the books as a 1-hitter. That's where MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was asked to step in.

The drumbeat began almost immediately for Selig to take action, and restore the perfect game. He had the power to reverse the call, and just like that, the sun would be shining, birds singing, and all would be right with the baseball world again. Give me a break! Sure, Selig could have taken the easy way out and come riding in on his white horse to save the day. I love a happy ending as much as the next guy. But it would have been more than just a little hypocritical to right the wrong in this case.

Since Selig has been against expanding instant replay, he couldn't go back now, a day later, and with a straight face rewrite history. You can't claim time and time again that you want to keep the so called "human element" in the game, and then erase an umpire's mistake. And to his credit, the commissioner actually got this one right. He made the correct call by refusing to change the incorrect call, and in the process actually showed some stones. Who knew he had any!