Tuesday Morning Overreactions: Halfway There

Where's that Surgeon General?

It has been said many times that some teams play with heart. How often can it be said that a team is dangerous to your heart? 3 weeks ago, after having to go to the hospital for the 3rd time in 3 weeks due to a bacterial infection in his heart, St. Louis Rams Head Coach Mike Martz, took an extended leave of absence from his duties.

This past week Mike Martz made it official that he'll be done for the entire year, leaving interim Head Coach, Joe Vitt in charge.

After two extremely close games where the Rams showed a lot of heart and won despite being without their top 3 offensive players, and their best defensive players, Head Coach Joe Vitt is going to use the teams bye week to have an angioplasty procedure done on his heart.

Two Coaches, Two Heart Problems, one team? Maybe the Rams should have a label “Dangerous to your heart” on them.

LaDanian Tomlinson vs. the N.Y. Jets QB's

Tomlinson this past weekend accomplished in just his 3rd pass attempt, the same thing that all 4 N.Y. Jets QB's have been able to accomplish in 207 pass attempts. Tomlinson recorded his third passing TD of the year.

Meanwhile the Jets have had Chad Pennington, Jay Fiedler, Brooks Bollinger, and Vinny Testeverde all behind center. They've combined for 207 pass attempts and only 3 TD's. In fact if Tomlinson were on the Jets he'd lead the team in pass attempts, as Pennington has 2 of the Jets 3 TD's.

Security!

So Brett Favre had a bad miserable day. But for all the bad passes and interceptions he threw, the most memorable play involving Brett Favre this past Sunday, was when late in the 4th Quarter, a fan jumped onto the field, and just as a play was beginning ran up to Brett and took the ball right out of his hands.

Someone want to explain how that fan doesn't get clobberred long before he got to Favre?

Crazy Idea, Try Blocking

The Niners haven't had a QB make it through an entire season healthy, for about 3 years now. #1 overall draft pick Alex Smith, injured some ligaments in his knee. His backup, Ken Dorsey, started in his place this past weekend. Around the 4th Quarter, Dorsey, after being battered all game had to leave to allow 3rd Stringer Cody Pickett to finish the game.

The niners offensive line should really try blocking the opponent and not letting their QB's get killed.



The Perfection Watch

Well the perfection watch is now officially over. The Houston Texans managed to not only get their first lead of the year this past weekend, but they also got their first win of the year, leaving the Indianapolis Colts as the lone perfect team sitting at 7-0.

Ze gap, she gone

After falling behind last week in the season long inter-conference matchup the AFC responded this week by winning 3 of the 4 matchups. Thus evening things out at 16-16. For a conference that was beaten so badly last year, the NFC has turned things around somewhat and is making a decent show in 2005.

The Over/Under

Overrated: Emotion of being in Louisiana. If the Saints couldn't manage to play halfway decent in their first game all year in Louisiana, they might as well just give up on the season. Something tells me that should start happening in about 2 weeks.

Underrated: Antonio Gates. He's not the best TE in the game, till he's done it a couple more years like Tony Gonzales, but he's dang close. Gates had 145 yards and 3 receiving TD's as the Chargers kept their season alive.

Overrated: The Philadelphia Eagles. Yea great performance against Denver.

Underrated: New York Giants. At least by me. I'm still not sold on the offense or Elisha being as good as they've played this year, but they keep proving me wrong.

Overrated: Security in Cincinnati. Seriously how does that fan not get clobberred long before he gets near the players. We're lucky that was a flashback to the Kansas City Royals in baseball when the coach got assaulted.

Underrated: Tackling. It seems to really be a lost art in the NFL.

Overrated: Next Monday live in Foxboro, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, the Colts vs. the Pats. If your not sick of the [over]hype yet, you will be.

Underrated: The small things. It seems the officials are so busy focusing on the big things like Pass Interference, or making sure the defender's had doesn't brush up against the QB, that they are letting so many small things go by without being called. The NFL really should make their Referees full time employees like other leagues.

Overrated: Mike Tice. Why does he still have a job?

Underrated: All four divisions have a team over .500. For a while it looked like that might not happen all year.

The Game of the Week

So I doubt Elisha and company. It cost me as I drop two games below .500 on the year and now sit at 3-5. This week I look to make it 4-5. Any doubt about which game I'll pick? I gotta go with the Patriots/Colts game.

I've said for a few weeks that I'm not sold on the Colts as contenders. We'll find out more this week, but for as bad as the Pats played last weekend, they still found a way to win. I'm not sure the Colts know how to do that. Combined with a nighttime game outside in New England that will be starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and I think the Colts will lose their undefeated streak.

The Top 14

1 (1) Indianapolis Colts – 7-0 Next Week: @ New England Comments: A win would mean a lot to the Colts, a loss would mean more.

2 (2) Atlanta Falcons – 5-2 Next Week: @ Miami Comments: For all the talk of the improved receiving corps in the offseason, TE Alge Crumpler is still leading reciever on the team.

3 (3) Pittsburgh Steelers – 5-2 Next Week: @ Green Bay Comments: Bill Cowher is 11-0 at home on Monday Nights.

4 (4) New England – 4-3 Next Week: vs. Indianapolis Comments: I still think the Pats missed a great psychological game by not waiting on starting Bruschi till this week.

5 (7) Denver Broncos – 5-2 Next Week: Bye Comments: I'm really getting worried about the real Jake Plummer, he's been missing for way too long.

6 (5) Cincinnati Bengals – 6-2 Next Week: @ Baltimore Comments: Must have had Green Bay Packer costumes on for Halloween.

7 (9) New York Giants – 5-2 Next Week: @ San Francisco Comments: Great performance by leagues worst defense to post a shutout.

8 (10) Dallas Cowboys – 5-2 Next Week: Bye Comments: Cowboys have done well in dealing with Julius Jones' extended injury.

9 (13) San Diego Chargers – 4-4 Next Week: @ New York Jets Comments: Chargers kept season alive with big divisional win against Chiefs.

10 (6) Jacksonville Jaguars – 4-3 Next Week: vs. Houston Comments: Loss to undermanned Rams, despite 200+ yards rushing, 160+ by Fred Taylor, knocks Jaguars back down to pretender category.

11 (11) Seattle Seahawks – 5-2< Next Week: @ Arizona Comments: Can put stranglehold on division with next three games. @ Arizona, vs. St. Louis, @ San Francisco.

12 (14) Carolina Panthers – 5-2 Next Week: @ Tampa Bay Comments: Fred Smoot said he could shut down Panther WR Steve Smith all by himself. Steve Smith says “Box Score, and Scoreboard” 201 yards receiving, 1 TD as Panthers beat Vikings.

13 (10) Philadelphia Eagles – 4-3 Next Week: @ Washington Comments: Despite leading team in Receptions, and being 3rd in the NFL, Terrell Owens was crying last week about not getting enough touches. Hmm where have we seen that before?

14 (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 5-2 Next Week:Comments: Loss to undermanned Niners team puts Bucs in fraud category.

The Cellar Watch

30 (31) Green Bay Packers – 1-6 Next Week: vs. Pittsburgh Comments: Hey Brett, try throwing to your own team.

31 (NR) Minnesota Vikings – 2-5 Next Week: vs. Detroit Comments: Culpepper's season ending injury proves it can always get worse.

32 (32) Houston Texans – 1-6 Next Week: @ Jacksonville Comments: No truth to rumors of city throwing team a parade for first victory.