November 18th, 2010, Thursday
MY NFL Team Power Rankings
(thru Week Ten)
Sometimes all you need is love and a little luck never hurts, just ask the New York Jets; two wins in overtime over the past two weeks. While the Jets are living large and fancy free, the Falcons and Patriots are not just playing well, but they are looking very good. With impressive wins over the Ravens and Steelers respectively, it’s hard to not imagine the Matt Ryan and Tom Brady led teams squaring off in February.
Other teams to watch as January nears include the Packers, Saints, and Eagles. All three are loaded with enough offense talent to cause many defensive coordinators to have nightmares. Lets’ not forget those teams with the kind of defenses that cause quarterback to feel uneasy, the Steelers, Ravens, and the Bears. These are teams that appear primed to be playing well into January.
With week 11 underway this Thursday, here’s how they rank;
Top 10
1. Atlanta Falcons (7-2): Right now, there are not too many teams that look quite as strong and balanced as the Falcons. They are firing on all cylinders and Matt Ryan is playing lights out; 5-0 at home, this is a team you will not want to see in late December and early January.
2. New York Jets (7-2): The Jets keep dodging bullets, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. The good news for the Jets, they are both lucky and good. With Sanchez making plays at the end of games, the kid is growing up fast and should be ready for the playoffs.
3. New England Patriots (7-2): After dismantling the vaunted Steeler’s defense, it looks like Brady has his swagger back as do the Pats. At 7-2 and tied for first in the east, it’s starting to look like the AFC may have to go through Foxboro, AGAIN!
4. New York Giants (6-3): Despite the major blunder and major let down at home last week to the Cowboys the Giants have a chance to rebound, but they had better be careful. With the Eagles next on the slate they could be running into another buzz-saw.
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3): The Raven’s looked like a team on the rise, but last week against the Falcons they stumbled a bit. Still with a loaded offense and nasty defense Baltimore will figure in the mix down the stretch.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3): The Steelers found out that their defense is not invincible and they also learned the hard way, Brady is still alive. The Steelers still have a lot of offense and plenty of defense to make noise, but they had better tighten up that secondary; 350 yards passing allowed in week 10.
7. New Orleans Saints (6-3): The Saints were idle last week, but have yet to completely heal. They are still the defending champs and loaded with talent; they will have a lot to say down the stretch in the second half of the season.
8. Green Bay Packers (6-3): Idle last week, the Packers appear primed and ready to seize control of the division and could be catching a reeling Vikings team at the right time. The Packers have yet to look dominant, but coming off a strong week nine showing, they look ready for the second half.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (6-3): Following one of the most dominating performances that this league has ever seen by quarterback Michael Vick last Monday night, the Eagles just continue their steady climb toward the top. A Sunday night showdown with the G-men will be huge!
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3): The Buccaneers keep surprising and winning. An impressive win at home has Morris and the kids just one game back of the division leading Falcons. Most people are still not talking a whole lot about the Bucs, but as long as they keep winning, they will.
The Rest of the league
• Chicago Bears (6-3)
• Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
• Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
• Tennessee Titans (5-4)
• Oakland Raiders (5-4)
• Miami Dolphins (5-4)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)
• Seattle Seahawks (5-4)
• St. Louis Rams (4-5)
• Washington Redskins (4-5)
• Houston Texans (4-5)
• San Diego Chargers (4-5)
• San Francisco 49ers (3-6)
• Denver Broncos (3-6)
• Minnesota Vikings (3-6)
• Cleveland Browns (3-6)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-6)
• Dallas Cowboys (2-7)
• Detroit Lions (2-7)
• Cincinnati Bengals (2-7)
• Buffalo Bills (1-8)
• Carolina Panthers (1-8) 
November 12th, 2010, Friday
That's My Take
Dallas Cowboys: Can Jason Garrett Save a Sinking Ship
In many ways the 2010 Dallas Cowboys are not much dissimilar to the U.S.S. Titanic. With their many talented players, their gigantic organization ego, the team has at times been viewed as larger than life; and with a billion dollar stadium it’s not hard to do.
Despite all the glitz, glamour, and armor, we see the 2010 Cowboys are not invincible and like the ill-fated ship at 1-7 and coming off one of their most embarrassing losses in franchise history more than a week ago they have struck an iceberg of metaphoric proportions.
Even as a non-Cowboys fan it was hard to watch the team play without any inspiration and fire. The Packers simply steam rolled the Cowboys 45-7 and sent them packing and heading towards what would appear to be rock bottom.
When training camps opened many folks liked the Cowboys chances heading into the regular season, because of the tremendous level of talent this team possessed. But as some same, talent can only get you so far. And in 2010, all their talent wasn’t even enough to get them out of the gate and into the race. The Cowboys lost their season opener in the same manner that they have been to losing all year long and since week one, they have been looking up from the bottom of their division.
By now the poor play of the Cowboys has been well chronicled, so on this vast ship over-hyped with great talent is Jason Garrett the right man to save this sinking vessel? A lot of what I have already read has given me an early impression that it may be too late. I have also seen a few scribbles and heard a few queries questioning Garrett’s own responsibility for the team’s current misfortunes; after all he was the offensive coordinator.
Through the first half of the season the Cowboy’s offense that is filled with all of this great talent we keep hearing about ranks 19th in scoring. What is obviously an undisciplined bunch, the Cowboys rank 30th in the turnover ratio with a scintillating minus 9 and their 62 penalties on offense also rank 7th most in the league. One of the team’s other Achilles this year has been their running game which is ranked, 31st in the league and has only two rushing touchdowns (tied for the fewest in the NFL) this season.
For being the man in charge of the offense, it’s hard to imagine that Garrett takes no responsibility or suffers any blame. Some would have to ask why team owner Jerry Jones doesn’t hold him more accountable.
If there is a simple answer, and for this team nothing seems to be simple it really makes no sense to fire Garrett along with Phillips and put this franchise in a complete upheaval. Leaving Garrett in place to ride this ship either into the mud of obscurity or maybe keep this pile of wreckage afloat long enough to sail back to mediocrity before making any permanent changes has some logic.
What sense would it make to bring in a new face now, with a built in excuse for failure. They wouldn’t have any commitment of loyalty to these players or coaches. It’s the smart move financially anyway since Garrett is making head coach money.
Now that Garrett is seated in the saddle, will this cowpoke go riding into the sunset or will he go down with the ship? Earlier this week Garrett held his first press conference as the new sheriff in town, and explained “how we do things around here.” It seems the new “Garrett-inspired” Cowboys do things with more tempo and no-nonsense; so where was this during the Wade Phillips era?
If Garrett was a big part of the culture that existed before, how does he expect to change things at Valley Ranch now?
It’s no secret that Garrett and Wade Phillips are two very different people and it sounds very much like there is a new sheriff in town. No-nonsense Garrett seems to be making every effort to tighten up the ship, but one has to wonder if he realizes what he has inherited. He has one big mess to clean up.
From this fans’ point of view, the team’s failure starts with accountability and lack of leadership. For weeks now we have been hearing from not just the coaches, but some of the players how it was not time to panic. While all of them were calming down the media, their season has been slowly slipping away. What I would have to ask; where are those players that are needed to step up and take charge, and accept some of this blame.
I am not going to point fingers at any players, but I do think a lot of the analysts have had it right about quarterback Tony Romo for example. He’s a player with a lot of talent, but doesn’t seem to be a great fit in the leadership role. He’s played well at times, but throughout this entire fiasco little has been said about him and even less has come from him. And like Romo, there are many others just as talented, but what seems to be missing in all cases is the needed leadership to pull the troops together
Garrett may be holding the reins at this point, but it’s going to take a little more than some pep talks, a firm whistle, and the Marlboro man to shake things up at Valley Ranch. After 16 weeks of football (which includes all of training camp), if these men have not found the motivation to become Cowboys I can’t imagine a simple changing of the guard doing it. Maybe Garrett has some magic or pixie dust in his pocket, but if he’s going to get this group to follow him like the pied piper he’d better start playing some great music quick.
Four months is a long time for this squad to become very comfortable and accustomed to things and how they are done. What is that saying, bad habits die hard and in this case they may take a few cowboys along the way. The Cowboys should note too, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.” A change of routine may be the start, but I would not be surprised and believe that personnel changes could be needed to make a real difference.
Not to put a hopeless spin on everything, of course anything is possible, but rather than just looking at the new coach for the answers; the real answers will come from the players. If anything the coaching change should be a wakeup call and put everyone on notice. I thought these next 8 games might be an audition for Garrett to earn this job, but just as his opportunity at a head coaching career in the Dallas is on the line, for some of these Cowboys so should be their careers in Texas.
I won’t offer any opinion of what I think the outcome will be for the Cowboys this season, because at 1-7 there really aren’t too many options other than to finish the season with pride. While the task at hand is great, I do believe the insertion of Garrett could be a start, but is it the right start only time will tell. For Garrett and those Cowboys that hope to be back in Valley Ranch next season these 8 games will offer at the very least, an idea of how much and what kind of character they have.
While the football world watches and waits to see if the Cowboys can pull off the impossible and the prospect does not look good without Romo and any real team leadership present (at the moment), the big questions to ask; who will Garrett call on to help rally the troops? And is there anyone he can call?
The Dallas Cowboy’s 2010 season may be all but over, but if Garrett and company are still holding out for that miracle comeback, one positive note looking ahead, it’s very close to that time of the season.
Just my take.
By David Ortega
November 10th, 2010, Wednesday
MY NFL Team Power Rankings
(thru Week Nine)
This season has been anything and everything in between, all but what most had expected. With teams like the Cowboys disappearing into oblivion and the Vikings scrambling to save their mortal football lives, we see new teams like the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Rams finding redemption in 2010.
Still there are quite a few of the expected names near the top of my weekly rankings, with the Giants, Falcons and Ravens leading the way. The Packers and Saints who had slipped a bit are finally starting to look like the dominant teams many expected to see early in the season.
With week 10 ready to start this Thursday, here’s how they rank;
Top 10
1. New York Giants (6-2): Even though their resume of opponents does not look impressive, the G-men have over the past several weeks running their win streak to five. At present little brother Eli and company could be the class of the NFC
2. Atlanta Falcons (6-2): Matt Ryan and company have the birds soaring with a 4-0 home record this seaosn, coupled with a tough run defense ranked 6th in the league the Falcons appear to be real contender in the NFC. Thursday night they will be tested against the Ravens.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): The Ravens and Joe Flacco have got the offense rolling averaging nearly 29 points in their last four games (3-1 in that stretch). Flacco has been superb since week three tossing 11 touchdowns with just one pick.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): The Steelers managed to hang on Monday night, but the North divisional matchups are always tough. With Big Ben in the saddle and the number four ranked defense overall, Pittsburgh looks like a favorite to take the AFC crown.
5. New York Jets (6-2): Their week nine win didn’t lack any dramatics, but it was far from impressive. However, their come-from-behind victory did show some resilience and maturity from the second year quarterback. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching quarterback Mark Sanchez in the second half.
6. New England Patriots (6-2): So much for being on top. There’s nothing like the student teaching the professor a trick or two, but you can bet Belichick and Brady will rebound and stay in the AFC hunt down the stretch.
7. New Orleans Saints (6-3): And just when you thought they were ready to relinquish their crown, here come Drew Brees and the Saints. After falling to 4-3, the Saints have responded with two consecutive and impressive wins. The Giants and Falcons better not stumble.
8. Green Bay Packers (6-3): They are probably the quietest 6-3 team you will see, although their defense has looked dominant the past two weeks. Rodgers was unstoppable last Sunday and if he gets it going, the NFC could be in trouble.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3): With a healthy Vick under center, this team looks like a very dangerous team in the second half of the season, as evident with their impressive win on Sunday over the Colts. Are people in Philly asking, McNabb who?
10. Indianapolis Colts (5-3): The Colts suffered a tough road loss in hostile territory last Sunday, but with Manning at the helm they were in it all the way to the end. It’s been a slow start, but at 5-3 they are on tied for first in the South and will definitely be a player down the stretch.
The Rest of the league
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3)
• Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
• Chicago Bears (5-3)
• Tennessee Titans (5-3)
• Oakland Raiders (5-4)
• St. Louis Rams (4-4)
• Miami Dolphins (4-4)
• Washington Redskins (4-4)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
• Houston Texans (4-4)
• Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
• San Diego Chargers (4-5)
• Minnesota Vikings (3-5)
• Cleveland Browns (3-5)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-5)
• San Francisco 49ers (2-6)
• Detroit Lions (2-6)
• Cincinnati Bengals (2-6)
• Denver Broncos (2-6)
• Carolina Panthers (1-7)
• Dallas Cowboys (1-7)
• Buffalo Bills (0-8) 
November 6th, 2010
That's My Take
Mike Shanahan: Bad Move or Sending the Right Message
And just when you think you have seen it all, you see the unbelievable, the unimaginable, and the incomprehensible. When did you ever think you would see quarterback Donovan McNabb benched in the 4th quarter of a game that still hung in the balance and be replaced by Rex Grossman.
It’s hard enough to just imagine McNabb being benched in the first place. After all he’s an 11-year veteran that has led his team to four NFC Championships and one Super Bowl appearance. When you consider his credentials, you would figure McNabb would have lots of room for error.
And maybe such has been the case, when you consider….for lack of a better option he was replaced by Rex Grossman.
The Redskins have yet to turn the corner and suddenly become a force to reckon with in the NFC East division, but on paper it would seem they have a few of the pieces in place to contend. They are in fact in the hunt, so what makes this recent controversial move by head coach Mike Shanahan mind boggling is the timing.
With less than two minutes left in Sunday’s matchup against the Lions and with the game still in the balance Shanahan decided that it was time to make a change. It was a move that many analysts, commentators, fans, and those that watch the game have been scratching their heads about. Shanahan sent McNabb to the showers and brought in back-up quarterback Rex Grossman.
Not exactly the move anyone that understands the basic rules of football would expect and one that has led some to ask the basic question. Was this simply a “bad move” or was the Redskins head coach trying to send a message.
After watching the conclusion of that fiasco I found it very compelling to search the channels for the post game interviews and some answers. What I found were many offerings and suggestions, but all seeming to say the same thing, it just doesn’t make sense. Some were even livid and felt the move was a complete discredit to McNabb, his skills, and his accomplishments.
But there was one, one opinion and analysis that seemed to make complete sense and the simplicity of the answer is what makes me think it’s probably closet to the truth. Watching to the ESPN wrap up of Sunday’s games, I listened to analyst and former NFL quarterback, Trent Dilfer offer some answers that seemed fitting.
When you look at the Texan’s back up (Grossman) and their starting quarterback (McNabb), when would there ever be a time to make a switch. The only logical reason that made sense for Shanahan to bench McNabb against the Lions was to regain control of his veteran quarterback.
Leading up to the benching, it’s not like McNabb was doing everything right to endear himself to his head coach. Entering last weekend, the Redskins offense was ranked middle of the road and their 18.5 points per game were less than impressive. As the leader of the offense, a lot of its’ success or failure falls squarely on the shoulders of McNabb.
Breaking down the team’s performance last Sunday, the Redskins had only gained 11 first downs with McNabb under center and were an awful 2 of 13 on third down. With the game in hand leading 25-20 and just 4:40 on the clock, McNabb made a critical error throwing a pick to not only set up the go ahead score for the Lions, but pre-empt Shanahan’s decision to sit down his veteran quarterback.
Not having clear information, but simply from an observer’s perspective it was easy to see McNabb was not doing the job and his benching may have been more of an abrupt (and arguably deserved) punishment for poor play. The only factors in the entire saga that did not make a whole lot of sense were; one, the game was still in the balance with a real shot to win, and two, your back-up quarterback is Rex Grossman.
Knowing what I know, I don’t believe for a minute that McNabb was replaced for Grossman, but rather he was benched and unfortunately for Redskins fans and Shanahan the only option he could then turn to was Grossman.
His follow up post-game press conference had to be comments made that would support his decision making and offer some sensibilities to the process of his decision; of course no one was buying what he was selling. He’s certainly not going to tell the world, my child (quarterback) was bad and I gave him a timeout.
But without words, if we take a deep look is that not the message? This is the same topic that many analysts have been discussing for weeks concerning the quarterback situation in Minnesota. But it is a situation that it would appear the head coach is not able to be so bold. Where one falls short, is it really surprising to see a coach and personality like Mike Shanahan to be so bold to take his stand and make his point. In fact, I would argue that this is exactly something that Shanahan would do. We only need to look at the whole Haynesworth situation to realize.
So if McNabb was benched simply because he stunk or was not following the game plan or not doing it how Shanahan designed it, it was of no consequence that Grossman came in. Grossman was the only option available.
I don’t know if Shanahan’s message was received well, but I hardly think for a second that this was the right move, let alone a good one. The Redskins were 4-3 entering the contest and with the game still up for grabs you have to have your best players on the field. Even if McNabb was not on the same page, he’s got to be your guy on the field. Whatever disconnect existed on Sunday on the field, Monday morning you are meeting with him in the film room working it work.
By all accounts considering the Redskins did lose last weekend, it may have been a bad move, but only time will tell if the message sent was heard.
The Redskins will enjoy their bye this weekend, but when they return in week 10 to face the Eagles on Monday night you can be sure McNabb will be under center as usual. What will be interesting to follow, will be the effectiveness of McNabb passing and the Redskin’s offense as a whole. I don’t imagine we’ll see any future benching anytime soon or Shanahan making a move to Grossman as his starter (despite all the things that T.O. claimed in his show), but then again anything is possible.
If replacing McNabb was not a bad or wrong move, certainly bringing in Grossman can’t be the right one? Can it?
Just my take.
By David Ortega
October 31st, 2010, Sunday
Keys 2 Sunday
Week 8 Previews
Jacksonville @ Dallas
After losing their starting quarterback (likely for the rest of the regular season) and dropping their 3rd straight game to fall to 1-5, most teams would be left for all but dead. Such may be the case for the Cowboys and their 2010 season, but at least for one more Sunday there may be some light left at the end of their tunnel.
Today the Jags are in town and if the Cowboys hope to generate any kind of positive momentum and earn their first home win of the 2010 season, they will need to lean heavily on the ground game today. In order for Kitna to be effective in the pass game and take advantage of play-action, the Cowboys must put the ball in the hands of running back Felix Jones. Jones is averaging over four yards per carry this season and has shown great hands out of the backfield with 21 receptions this season. With great speed Jones also has big play capability and today he faces a run defense that has been victimized with five runs of 20 yards or more.
If the Cowboys are going to be victorious today, they will need to be proficient with ball security and move the chains on the ground. Quarterback Jon Kitna is a very capable back-up and will have to make a few throws today, but if the Cowboys can get the running game going this will open up play action and lead to success through the air.
Defensively the Cowboys will need to contain the Jaguars run game and force quarterback David Garrard to have to throw in 3rd and long situations. The Cowboys have not had great success this season slowing down the run, but if nose-tackle Jay Ratliff and the Cowboys defensive line can win some early battles this will give lineback DeMarcus Ware more opportunity to get to the quarterback.
This season the Jaguars have allowed 15 sacks and coughed up 11 interceptions through seven games. The Cowboys defense will need to bring lots of pressure and force Garrard and the Jaguars 23rd ranked passing offense into many mistakes. Pressure and takeaways will be key today for Dallas.
My Pick; Cowboys 27, Jaguars 17
Green Bay @ New York
Thus far this season, the Jets have been enjoying great success with a balanced attack and solid defense, but today they are going to have their hands full. With the Packers in town the secondary will be tested as will the Jets offensive line facing Clay Matthews and one of the league’s best pass rushes (22 sacks this season).
Fortunately for the quarterback Mark Sanchez and the Jets, they have the great pass rush neutralizer; their ground game. The Jets rank second in the league in rushing with nearly 160 yards rushing and over 32 rush attempts per game. If the Jets can find early success on the ground against the Packer’s 23rd ranked run defense, this will negate a lot of pressure from the Packers pass rush. When the Jets do have to throw protection will be a big key for success and so far this season the Jets “o” line has been solid only allowing nine sacks through six games.
Defensively the secondary is going to have its’ hands full with all the receivers the Packers possess. A big key for the defense will be watching for 1st down pass plays and shutting down the Packers run game (ranked 23rd). If the Jets can make the Packers offense one dimensional this is going to give head coach Rex Ryan a lot of liberties to bring a lot of pressure. The Packers are ranked 8th in passing this season with Rodgers under center, but his line has not been fail safe allowing 14 sacks this season. Pressure will be another key for the Jets success on defense.
The Jets should control a lot of clock with one of the best ground attacks in the league and touting one of the best run defenses they should be able to force the Packers into becoming more one dimensional. The Packers offense is too great to stop, but the Jets should be able to do enough to slow down their charge.
My Pick; Jets 28, Packers 21
October 29th, 2010 Saturday (evening)
What's the Latest
Some quick news and notes for Sunday
Brett Favre expected to start Sunday...
Despite the broken ankle and 41 years of age, it sounds like Brett Favre’s streak of consecutive starts will remain safe for at least one more week. According to some sports wires, the word is Favre expects to start after making it thru two days of practice.
Vernon Davis is listed as questionable...
The Niner’s tight end Vernon Davis has been nursing an ankle injury all week, but did participate in practice on a limited basis Friday. Davis did travel with the team to London, but remains a questionable play for Sunday against the Broncos.
Steven Jackson uncertain for Sunday...
The Rams star running back Steven Jackson (finger) returned to practice on a limited basis Friday. Jackson is nursing a broken finger, but has made it clear via twitter he expects to start Sunday. Even though head coach Steve Spagnuolo has not offered much on the subjects, it seems safe to expect to see Jackson on the field Sunday.
Pierre Thomas will not play Sunday….
The New Orleans Saints have already ruled out running back Pierre Thomas for Sunday night’s matchup with the Steelers. With Thomas and Reggie Bush likely out, Chris Ivory is expected to make his third straight start. 
