The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-10 in the NFL...

1. Why is it when Brett Favre puts up 446-yards in an overtime victory he's the ultimate tough guy...And when he throws for 170-yards with 3-interceptions and a fumble he's playing hurt? It's fitting injury and excuse are 6-letter words, because for Favre they've always been linked. I've got another six letter word for him...RETIRE.

2. I know what Vikings owner Zigy Wilf said about not changing head coaches, but I wonder if he'll be more motivated to fire Brad Childress after watching how the Cowboys performed in Jason Garrett's debut.

3. Spoke with a giddy Mike Thomas after his improbable "Hail Mary" catch as time expired gave the Jaguars a 31-24 victory over the Texans. When I asked him if he realistically thought he'd have any chance to make a play there, his response was more than honest, "Not at all. That's one shot in a lifetime. The football gods were looking over us."

4. Down 14 to 12 with 14-seconds remaining, you can't throw a pass out of the end-zone on the 2-point conversion attempt Shaun Hill. That's 25-straight road losses and counting for the Lions.

5. Anyone out there still calling the Giants the best team in the NFL? How about the NFC? Don't know about you, but I'm still waiting for them to get a win against a quality opponent before I take them more seriously.

6. File this under the heading of sometimes bad things happen to good people. In his return as a starter, Chad Pennington lasted all of 2-plays before suffering yet another right shoulder injury, this one likely a career ender. Pennington has been a terrific player during his 11-year career, but he's only made it through the full 16-game season two times.

7. Randy Moss has now played twice in Miami this season for two different teams, the Patriots and Titans. His combined numbers in those games...1-reception for 26-yards.

8. The 49ers appear to have the right Smith playing quarterback, and it's not Alex. Troy Smith threw for 356-yards and a late game tying touchdown Sunday in the Niners 23-20 overtime victory against the Rams. Compare that to Alex Smith who's never thrown for over 310-yards, and has only reached the 300-yard passing mark twice since 2005.

9. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Kerry Collins. Before leaving with a calf injury, the Titans QB completed only 9 of 20-passes for 51-yards. Collins, who's known for his strong arm, averaged a pathetic 2.6-yards per pass attempt.

10. It only took until week-10 for Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow to throw his first career pass, a 3-yard TD to Spencer Larsen. Tebow now has exactly as many pass attempts this season as former Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, who threw an incompletion Sunday for the Dolphins. At least Tebow can say he has a better QB rating.

11. You know the drill...two more overtimes yesterday, and neither one of them was decided on the first possession. That's 13-times we've had a game go to the extra session this season. In 12 of those games, both teams got their hands on the ball. If they can make other rule changes on the fly, why can't the NFL eliminate the OT rule change for the post-season?

12. Speaking of overtime, the Jets are the first team in league history to win back to back games in OT on the road. And it's time to start giving Mark Sanchez a little bit more credit here. His combined numbers in their overtime victories against the Lions and Browns...9 of 14-passing for 169-yards with 1-TD and 1-INT.

13. Caught up with Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick yesterday following Buffalo's first win of the season, and I found it interesting that he emphasized the importance of playing at their real home. "I can't say how much the crowd helped. There's definitely a difference in terms of atmosphere." You get that Ralph Wilson? I don't care how much they're paying you to play in Toronto. It's not worth it to your team. Here's a novel concept...win games and the fans will show.

14. Don't know if you've been paying attention, but the Buccaneers are fast developing their own big three. Between QB Josh Freeman, WR Mike Williams and RB LeGarrette Blount, Tampa has a talented core to build around offensively. Blount is the oldest of bunch at 23, and the biggest question mark due to his attitude/temper. Sunday, he ran for 91-yards and a touchdown, Freeman threw for 2-scores, and Williams led the team in receiving yards. If Blount can refrain from throwing any more punches, the Bucs may really have something here.

15. In their 39-26 win over Pittsburgh, the Patriots Rob Gronkowski became just the sixth rookie tight-end since 1960 with 3-TD receptions in a game. The last player to accomplish the feat before Gronkowski actually played for the Steelers...Eric Green back in 1990.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-9 in the NFL...

1. Following their latest debacle, a 45-7 loss Sunday night to the Packers, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had this to say, "There are a lot of people here who are certainly going to suffer and suffer consequences." Jerry...people are already suffering...they're called your fans. The consequences, or shall I say symptoms of being a Cowboys fan are embarrassment, nausea and depression. The cure...take two aspirin and find a new team in the morning.

2. There's no doubt in my mind Eagles safety Kurt Coleman will be fined by the NFL for the hit that knocked out Colts wide-receiver Austin Collie. However, after reviewing the play frame by frame at least 20-times, I find it very hard to blame Coleman. He led with his shoulder and the helmet followed, plus Collie actually lowered his head before the hit. I know Roger Goodell wants to protect the players, but this isn't flag football commissioner.

3. At the same time Goodell has every right to drop the hammer on Nick Collins. The Packers safety clearly led with his helmet while delivering a blow to Cowboys receiver Roy Williams. Learn how tackle Nick...your bank account will thank you.

4. In a sloppy, mistake filled game they had no business winning, the Jets can feel good about one thing...Revis Island is officially open for business again. Darrelle Revis held Calvin Johnson to all of 1-catch for 13-yards. Hope you enjoyed your stay Megatron.

5. Why are you having Drew Stanton throw the ball on 3rd and 6 Jim Schwartz when the Jets are out of timeouts and there's under 2-minutes to go? You have to know when to be aggressive, and with Stanton at quarterback that wasn't the time. Spoke with Jets wide-receiver Santonio Holmes after the game and even he called that a "boneheaded play."

6. 3-more overtime games Sunday, and for the first time all year one of them was decided on the first possession. So by my count that's 11-games that have gone to OT, and 10 with both teams getting their hands on the football. Is that enough evidence to eliminate the ridiculous change to the overtime rules for the post-season? I'm still waiting for your answer commissioner.

7. I know it's not as easy as it looks, but you can't lose track of downs Jeff Triplette. The head referee in the Raiders/Chiefs game reversed a call via replay, but then had the Chiefs facing a 4th and goal instead of 1st and goal. Kansas City actually ran a play before Triplette's crew, with the help of Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, realized they had the wrong down.

8. Nothing is less compelling than a Bill Belichick post-game press conference after a loss. Among the one word answers and short boring responses from the ultimate sour-puss was this blanket statement, "Pick any subject you want and say how did it go and it wasn't very good."

9. By the way, let's not call this a Browns upset of the Patriots...let's call it a total domination. In their 34 to 14 victory, Cleveland out-gained New England 404 to 283, forced 3-turnovers and held the ball for over 38-minutes. Even perpetual grump Eric Mangini had to be smiling...behind closed doors of course.

10. On a day when they survived with a 27-24 overtime win against the Cardinals, Vikings fans were still calling for head coach Brad Childress's job. Defensive end Jared Allen joined me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive and said it was a victory that "saved their season." When asked if he expects Childress to coach the team for the rest of the year, Allen added "It's not our decision, but I anticipate he'll be here."

11. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Jimmy Clausen. In relief of the injured Matt Moore, the Panthers QB completed just 8 of 18-passes for 47-yards with 0-TD's and 1-INT before being benched in favor of the immortal Tony Pike.

12. It's time to start talking about the Giants Hakeem Nicks among the game's elite wide-receivers. With Sunday's 6-catch 128-yard 1-TD performance, Nicks is now sixth in the league in receiving yards, fifth in receptions, tied for first in TD grabs, and tied for second in receptions of 20-yards plus. Not bad for the 29th pick in the 2009 NFL draft who was taken far later than the likes of Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Crabtree. In case you're wondering, Heyward-Bey and Crabtree have combined for 50-catches and 4-TD's this season. Nicks has 51-receptions and 9-touchdowns.

13. It's 4th and short, your quarterback Josh Freeman is 6'6 248 and you're not running a QB sneak? You outsmarted yourself on that play Raheem Morris.

14. I know the Texans secondary is atrocious, but Chargers QB Philip Rivers deserves some serious credit today. Without Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee, Rivers threw for 295-yards and 4-TD's in San Diego's 29-23 win over Houston.

15. How many of you have put in a fantasy waiver claim for Seyi Ajirotutu already? And yes, if you were listening, I was able to say his name on the air flawlessly.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-8 in the NFL...

1. Halloween Sunday turned into fright night for offense. Five teams scored 10-points or less including the Jets who were shutout by the Packers.

2. Along those lines, memo to Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer...run the ball! I know it was Halloween, but did Schottenheimer think Mark Sanchez was wearing a Joe Montana costume? In a game that was 3-0 at halftime, and 6-0 in the 4th quarter, Sanchez had 38-pass attempts. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene combined for 22-runs. Not nearly enough.

3. Raiders running back Darren McFadden is the most improved player in football. He now has four games of over 100-yards rushing in 2010, and is averaging 5.5-yards per carry. In his first two years, McFadden ran for 856-yards in fifteen games. He's got 668-yards in just six games this season.

4. Wade Phillips' post-game press conferences have become flat out depressing. Following the Cowboys latest atrocious performance, a 35-17 home loss to the Jaguars, Phillips was asked if he's lost the team. His response, "I hope not." Don't exude too much confidence there Wade.

5. You're already one of the best defensive tackles in football, but next time hold off on the celebration until you get into the end zone Ndamukong Suh.

6. Speaking of rookies, if you're still not convinced Sam Bradford is going to be a big time quarterback, then I have to question your intelligence. He's got the the Rams at 4-4 now, and has thrown 11-touchdowns to a receiving corps that is sub-par to say the least.

7. Randy Moss must have decided to dress up like a ghost yesterday, because he was invisible. In his return to Foxboro, Moss had all of 1-reception for 8-yards.

8. It's amazing how vital Jets castoff Danny Woodhead has become to the Patriots offense. Check out his numbers in their last 3-games...25-rushes 100-yards 1-TD. 13-receptions 125-yards. And most importantly, Woodhead has learned Patriots speak. When he joined me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive, he took credit for absolutely nothing.

9. I'm not buying what Mike Shanahan was selling yesterday when he tried to explain why he pulled Donovan McNabb late in the 4th quarter. "Rex (Grossman) gave us the best chance to win....knowing terminology and how we run it." Shanahan was referring to their two minute offense, but what he says makes zero sense. Donovan McNabb was acquired by the Redskins in early April. You're telling me he's not familiar with how they execute the two minute drill? And since when does Rex Grossman give any team their best chance to win?

10. Spoke with Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith after his interception secured Miami's 22-14 victory in Cincinnati Sunday, but not even he could explain this...The Dolphins are now 4-3 with all of their wins coming on the road.

11. It must be gut wrenching, but you're getting closer Bills fans. Back to back overtime losses for 0-7 Buffalo.

12. Make that 8-overtime games in 8-weeks with exactly zero decided on the first possession. Can we scrap that rule change now please?

13. Think Derek Anderson! You can't force a ball into coverage trailing 38-35 in the 4th quarter, when you're already in field goal range.

14. In a 7-7 game just before halftime, why is Brad Childress going for it on 4th and goal? Take the points, and a lead into the locker room.

15. The Todd Collins award of the week once again goes to Cardinals QB Max Hall. Congratulations Max, you're a back to back winner! 8 of 16-passing isn't terrible, but 2-interceptions returned for touchdowns in less than 2-quarters...that's embarrassing.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-7 in the NFL...

1. Brett Favre's magic has officially disappeared. What that means is he's no longer good enough to overcome his own mistakes. The moments of brilliance are few and far between these days.

2. One other note on the Sunday night game...Visanthe Shiancoe's TD catch should never have been overturned via replay. He absolutely had possession.

3. In his post-game comments, Mike Singletary said he still believes his 1-6 49ers can make the playoffs. He also revealed he believes in the tooth fairy and strippers with a heart of gold.

4. Are Niners fans still calling for David Carr? I think not.

5. I don't disagree with Bill Belichick's philosophy in going for it on 4th and 1 late in the 4th quarter, but the play call was awful. You have to put the ball in Tom Brady's hands there.

6. With his two interception returns for touchdowns Sunday, Browns linebacker David Bowens has now found the endzone as many times as Larry Fitzgerald this season.

7. I think Roger Goodell overreacted to last week's string of devastating hits. That said, if the league's emphasis on player safety had a negative impact on yesterday's games, I didn't see it.

8. Spoke with Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward on the Sunday Drive after their win in Miami. His take on the bizarre ruling following the Roethlisberger fumble, "Our guys said they had the ball. Their guys said they had the ball. I'm going to believe our guys over their guys." Get all that?

9. DeAngelo Hall is clearly Jay Cutler's new favorite target. Hall's stat line of 4-receptions (interceptions) for 92-yards and a touchdown was better than anything the Bears' receivers did Sunday.

10. Did the Raiders just score again? I imagine that performance even brought the color back to Al Davis's face. Then again...

11. There were several huge receiving days in week-7, but to me Kenny Britt's was the most impressive. The Titans wideout caught 7-balls for 225-yards and 3-TD's. Keep in mind he didn't start the game as punishment for his role in a fight last week, Kerry Collins was his quarterback, and the rest of the team combined had 10-receptions for 51-yards.

12. I still like Kevin Kolb, but let's face it...his uneven performance made Andy Reid's decision to name Michael Vick the team's starting quarterback a whole lot easier.

13. Don't know if he's injured, but something is not quite right about Drew Brees. With those 4-interceptions yesterday, he's now thrown 10 this year. Brees was picked off 11-times all of last season.

14. The Todd Collins award of the week goes to Cardinals rookie QB Max Hall. Even with a concussion, 4 of 16-passing for 36-yards and an interception is embarrassing. And yes, he's still Arizona's best option.

15. Strange, but I don't hear all the proponents of the overtime rule change saying anything now. We've had 7-games go into sudden death this season. None of them have been decided on the first possession.

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-6 in the NFL...

1. You can say it's a nice dilemma to have, like Andy Reid choosing between a Philly cheese steak, or a sausage, onions and peppers sandwich...he'd probably order both...but I wouldn't want to be in Reid's shoes right now. How can you tell Kevin Kolb to take a seat? Both Kolb and Michael Vick have put up good numbers, but I'm giving Kolb the edge here. He's done it against the Niners and Falcons. To me that's more impressive than Vick's performances versus the Lions and Jaguars.

2. No head coach sounded more defeated after a loss yesterday than Wade Phillips. Make no mistake, at 1-4 the Cowboys are done. Phillips might as well get a head start and begin packing up his office now. I'm sure Jerry Jones will offer to help.

3. So much for Marcus McNeill solidifying the Chargers offensive line. In their first 5-games, the Rams had 10-sacks. Against the Chargers Sunday, they dropped Philip Rivers 7-times.

4. Let me end the Tim Tebow hype right now. Yes, he ran for a TD Sunday. No, he never came close to attempting a pass. Tebow is Brad Smith minus the athleticism. And the Jets didn't spend a 1st round pick on Smith. (He was a 4th rounder in case you were wondering)

5. Spoke with three different wide receivers on the Sunday Drive and they each had something interesting to offer. The Steelers Mike Wallace told me and Steve Torre, with Ben Roethlisberger now back they can actually use the whole playbook.

6. When we caught up with Deion Branch, he said it felt like he'd never left the Patriots. In fact, Branch revealed that he stayed in the same hotel the night before the game, and thought it was the same room for that matter.

7. During our interview with the Jets Braylon Edwards, I asked about Mark Sanchez's 2-interception day. His response, "Mark didn't go into a shell like he would've last year."

8. Back to Deion Branch for a moment...He had 9-receptions in his return to the Patriots. In the 4-games Randy Moss played with New England this season...9-receptions total.

9. Jason Campbell gets the Todd Collins award of the week. In their 17-9 loss to the Niners, the Raiders QB completed just 8 of 21-passes for 83-yards with 0-TD's and 2-INT's. Think Al Davis is still comparing Campbell to Jim Plunkett?

10. Believe it or not it took until week-6 for Drew Brees and the Saints to score more than 25-points in a game. Why do I get the feeling a sleeping giant just woke up?

11. Maybe South Beach really is a distraction. The Dolphins are now 3-0 on the road, and have given up 40-points in those 3-games. At home they're 0-2 and have allowed 72-points.

12. Alex Smith is a smart guy, but the Niners quarterback has zero pocket presence. How many more times is he going to run directly at a defensive lineman?

13. Nice one handed catch Pierre Garcon. Now if you could only make more two handed receptions.

14. That was a franchise QB performance in the 4th quarter by the Texans Matt Schaub in their comeback win against the Chiefs. He completed 11 of 14-passes for 155-yards including the game winning 11-yard TD strike to Andre Johnson with 28-seconds remaining.

15. Does the NFL really need to throw Jacksonville a bone with a Monday night game?

The 15-Play Drive

15 thoughts on week-5 in the NFL...

1. No Halloween horror flick could possibly be any scarier than the film of Todd Collins' performance yesterday. The Bears quarterback completed 6-passes and threw 4-interceptions. My advice to Collins when they review the tape...close your eyes and be afraid...be very afraid.

2. It's time for Chargers special teams coach Steve Crosby to polish up that resume, because a pink slip should be in the mail. San Diego has now given up 2-kickoff returns for TD's, 1-punt return for a touchdown, and yesterday they had 2-punts blocked. All of this in 5-games. Brutal.

3. Your defense played too well for you not to catch that ball in the end zone Dwayne Bowe.

4. Hell has officially frozen over. Niners fans were actually calling for David Carr last night.

5. The Packers have zero faith in their running game. On a day when Brandon Jackson rushed for 115-yards, Green Bay handed him the ball just once in the 4th quarter with a 10-point lead.

6. For those of you in favor of parity, not only is this the first time since 1970 that there are no 4-0 teams, the entire AFC South is 3-2.

7. The Texans secondary couldn't cover my grandmother, and she's been dead for over 20-years.

8. Why are you attempting an onside kick to start that game in Detroit Steve Spagnuolo?

9. So much for rebuilding on the fly in the NFC East. Mike Shanahan's Redskins are a missed 52-yard FG in overtime away from being 4-1. Graham Gano went wide right on that kick back in week-2, after Washington had blown a 13-point halftime lead.

10. Congratulations Detroit Lions! QB Shaun Hill told me and Steve Torre on the Sunday Drive, that was the most fun he'd ever had after a win. I have the feeling the Lions will be able to celebrate a few more times before this season is over.

11. Opposing defenses are simply daring the Colts, Saints and Packers to run the ball right now. That's a major reason why Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers led their team's to 19, 20 and 13-points Sunday. Combined they threw for 3-TD's and 5-INT's.

12. Coaching hot seat after 5-weeks....1. John Fox (he's gone no matter what) 2. Wade Phillips (Jerry Jones isn't a patient man) 3. Mike Singletary (the clock is officially ticking)

13. Does any team win closer, uglier games than the Falcons? My pre-season Super Bowl pick is now 4-1. However, 3 of their 4-victories are by an average of 5-points, and their 1-loss was by 6.

14. The Bengals are an immature team, with an inconsistent quarterback and no real leadership to speak of. Any questions?

15. If the Jets really want to create a distraction for Brett Favre tonight, they'd name Jenn Sterger an honorary captain, and have her strut out to midfield for the coin toss.

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.