The Green Bay Packers: Living Up to a Monkey’s Expectations

While it seemed many sports pundits and fans alike had high hopes for the 2008 Green Bay Packers and fully expected them to continue their winning ways with first-time starting QB Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Monkey and I were among the few voices out there who not only sided against the Packers organization re: the handling of the “Brett Favre Saga,” but also predicted that the team without their legendary QB in the huddle would struggle mightily in 2008 to recapture their success from 2007.

In fact, we predicted exactly what would happen in 2008, that the team would go 6-10.

Full disclosure here, though: we also predicted that the Jets and Brett Favre would go 11-5, but we’ll talk more about the reasons behind that team’s collapse later.

What we didn’t predict, however, was the fact that much of the unravelling of the Pack in 2008 would have less to do with their young quarterback and more to do with the inability of their defense to put teams away, despite their proclivity for creating turnovers and scoring on the defensive side of the ball.

Packers fans should not be disheartened by the play of Aaron Rodgers, however. Not only did the young man show tremendous poise throughout the offseason drama, when the season kicked off, he also demonstrated strong physical and atheletic ability, as well as demonstrated leadership throughout the course of what must have been a very frustrating season for fans and the Packers organization alike.

In my August post predicting the Packers’ losing season and other posts I wrote during that time period, I spoke frequently about the Football Gods smiting the Packers with a season of futility as payback for their hubris and handling of their former star quarterback. While I still believe the Packers made a mistake by discarding Favre, if one defines success as the Packers putting together a winning season (as opposed to writing the season off as a developmental year), I now realize that the Football Gods weren’t necessarily going to reward the New York Jets either, just because they signed the aging legend…

Jet or Decrepit?

The New York Jets: “Decrepit” Favre

After watching many of the 2008 Jet games, it seems this organization too bore the brunt of the payback from the Football Gods in return for their casting away of former Jet QB Chad Pennington, who like the Prodigal Son, came back home to New York (Jersey) to put the nail in the coffin of train-wreck of a season for the Big Apple’s JV Football Club. It’s rather odd to think that by dropping Pennington from the Jet roster, Head Coach Eric Mangini became the cause of his own unravelling and eventual firing in New York, as the man he hired to replace Chad, Favre, perhaps bears the most responsibility for literally throwing the final game away in the form of three disgusting, ugly, and horrifying interceptions.

And while the Jets were already eliminated from playoff contention at kickoff with a Patriots win earlier in the day, their final game against Miami and Pennington might possibly serve as a microcosm of their season: flashes of brilliance intermixed with displays of ineptitude yielding overwhelming mediocrity.

The Next Elway?

The Denver Broncos: What Goes Around Comes Around

Just a few days before their final game of the season, in which the Broncos were utterly annihilated and humiliated by the San Diego Chargers on national television, the Monkey and I were ruminating on the fact that if it weren’t for Mike Shanahan, Jake “the Snake” Plummer might still be employed today as a NFL quarterback. Granted, his play was at times erratic, but he still brought his team to the AFC Championship the year before he got the hook and led the team to a 7-4 record the next season before he was benched in favor of then-rooke Jay Cutler. From that point on, while it seems like every sports pundit in the world has hailed Jay Cutler as one of the elite QB’s in the NFL, he’s done nothing to elevate this storied franchise beyond three straight seasons of a hair worse than mediocre (7-9 thrice).

While the Monkey and I have no beef with Cutler himself, we believe that Shanahan’s benching of Plummer was pure hubris, that the coach had to prove himself the wise offensive sage, “The Mastermind,” by giving his young draft pick the reins of the organization perhaps prematurely, at the expense of a guy, who love him or hate him, got it done for the Broncos in a more significant way than any other QB since Mr. Bronco himself, John Elway. It took a little time for the Football Gods to exert their payback, but finally two years after effectively ending Plummer’s career did Mike Shanahan find himself out of a job in Denver. Kind of puts a crimp in his plans to build a 35,000 square foot mega-house in the Denver area, doesn’t it?

The Most Talented Team in NFL?

The Dallas Cowboys: Leadership Vacuum

Prior to kickoff at the Dallas-Philly season finale, Fox Sideline Reporter Pam Oliver contrasted the mood and outlook of each team’s leaders. Referring to Eagles Safety Brian Dawkins (otherwise known as Weapon X), she discussed his outlook for the game, which embodied pure excitement and motivation to defeat the “hated” Cowboys on the field. On the other hand, when she talked to Dallas QB Tony Romo, she reported that his desire was to relax out there and play the game “with a smile on his face.” Nothing better defines the contrast between the scrappy Philly club who clawed their way to a NFC playoff spot, along the way destroying the Dallas Cowboys 44-6 in a such a resounding and utterly humiliating fashion, and the Dallas Cowboys, the league posterboys for posturing, melo-drama, and late season collapses. I commented earlier in the season that Dallas suffers from a severe absence in the leadership department and this final game of the 2008 encapsulates that predicament in a stunning way.

From their lackadasical, playoff-allergic QB, to their “me-first” corps of wide receivers, to their meddling ego-maniacal owner, to their anemic Head Coach, the Dallas Cowboys are in disarray like few other teams in the league. Their 9-7 season, while perhaps an attractive record to struggling clubs in the AFC West, is a debacle given the apparently misguided reputation of their roster’s talent level. It’s weird to think that the mediocre Washington Redskins have posted more playoff wins than the Dallas Cowboys since the ‘Boys last Superbowl victory over 12 years ago.

Is the Cowboy’s current futility the Football Gods’ payback of Owner/GM Jerry Jones’ unceremonious dismissal of Cowboys legend Tom Landry? If so, then their payback took several years to exact, after Jones and the ‘Boys won three Superbowls under two headstrong Head Coaches, Jimmy Jones and Barry Switzer. Perhaps the Gods allowed the Cowboys to enjoy early success so as to make their revenge even more palpable now. Since taking the reins as GM in 1993, there is no one to blame for the misfortunes of the Cowboys other than Jerry Jones.

While a brilliant marketer, Jones has made regrettable hiring decisions in the Head Coaching department (perhaps outside of Bill Parcells, but perhaps including the Tuna as well). The Gods favor humility (Dungy), discipline (Coughlin), grit (Cowher), and relentlessness (Belichick, pre-Spygate), and will continue to smite the Cowboys until they change their culture of flash but no bang.

A New Era in Hot-lanta

The Atlanta Falcons: Phoenix From the Ashes

It is apt that a team named after a much celebrated bird of prey model their return to a prominence after a mythological bird. Just over a year ago, I wrote a post which was basically an open letter to Falcons’ Owner Arthur Blank, with suggestions on how to move forward on the heels of the Mike Vick sentencing and Bobby Petrino jumping ship from the team after posting a 0.23 winning percentage with three games remaining in the season.

While Mr. Blank didn’t follow my suggestions to the letter, he did orchestrate one of the most stunning single-season turnarounds in NFL history. The Atlanta Falcons replaced a magically gifted QB in the form of Vick (on the field only, of course), in a racially divided city with a young white draft pick from Boston College with enormous shoes to fill both in terms of his future play on the field and his impact in the community, which had elevated Vick to god-like status prior to his fall from grace.

Instead of forcing Ryan to play in a system created to highlight the talents of Vick, new Head Coach Mike Smith recreated the offensive game entirely to suit Ryan’s skills, preventing the young QB from attempting to do the impossible: mimic Mike Vick’s signature style. This fact alone is pretty remarkable, considering his defensive background prior to being named to his first head coaching post. With Vick running the show, the Falcons had been a dominant force in the rushing department for the past several seasons and wisely, Coach Smith harnessed the team’s inherent ability to create rushing lanes but complemented that running attack with a more traditional pocket passer that Mike Vick never was.

Besides the abundant talent in their new franchise QB, complemented by the power rushing game led by Michael Turner, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly how the Falcons were able to succeed so quickly. Perhaps some of their success can be attributed to the “easy” schedule on the heels of a 3-13 campaign. I don’t necessarily buy the easy schedule argument because only two games on any NFL’s team’s schedule are a reflection of their finish in the previous year (the Falcons finished fourth in their Division, so they got to face the other fourth-place finishers in the NFC: the Eagles, a 2008 playoff team, and the Rams). I think much of their success comes from their willingness to put the past behind them. They took a chance on a head coach with no head coaching experience. They took a chance on a rookie QB who’s experience was with a team playing in a weak NCAA Conference. And they took a chance on a mostly unproven running back.

The Football Gods wanted the Falcons to shine in the wake of the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino disaster, much like they smiled upon the New Orleans Saints in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And oh, by the way, former Falcon Coach Bobby Petrino finished up at 5-7 for Arkansas this year. The Football Gods had a hand in that, too.
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While the Monkey and I were able to catch a few games this weekend, unfortunately we were mostly primarily involved in a huge move from our condo to a new house and are unable to provide a full recap of all the excitement in Week 6. What a sad thing that is, given the incredible finishes and upheavals that occurred over the weekend.

So sadly, this Recap is extremely brief and we’ll just mention a few things:

MMIM Player of the Week: Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns. Here’s a guy who walked into Monday’s showdown in Cleveland against the champs as the lowest-ranked starting quarterback in the NFL. Coming off a breakout Pro-Bowl season in ‘07, many saw the Browns as preseason contenders and were surprised to see them put together a disappointing 1-3 start coming into the game against the Giants, with their only win coming against the hapless Bengals. Anderson, fully aware that Superstar Backup Brady Quinn was just a froghair away from being named the starter if the season didn’t turn around in a hurry, had his back against the wall and performed remarkably against the league’s best defense. Here’s to Derek Anderson for not allowing the Monkey in his Mind to convince him that he was unable to live up to the high hopes going into the season, and for perhaps turning around his franchise’s entire season with a heroic performance on Monday night.

Throwback Attack:

A few weeks ago, I commented that teams playing in throwback uni’s tended to win. Well, that trend continued over the weekend with San Diego, the New York “Titans”, and the Cleveland Browns all wearing throwback threads and winning! Now, if only the Redskins will follow suit!.

That being said, the only other thing I have time to comment on is something I saw during one of the games on Sunday, and that is the LEAVE NOTHING Nike campaign commercial featuring Ladanian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu. Simply one of the greatest commercials ever made, even better than Miami Vice creator Michael Mann’s previous campaign featuring Steven Jackson and Shawn Merriman. Watch below.

Another fantastic weekend in the NFL, culminating in a stranger-than-fiction Monday Night affair down in the Big Easy.  I have to say, as there is no doubt that there is some odd mojo (or voodoo) floating through the consciousness of New Orleans, it is not surprising that their football club often has to contend with unusually strange ways to be defeated.  Monday Night’s game couldn’t have been weirder, especially with Reggie Bush’s two punts returned for touchdowns, with a third TD just a lost-footing stumble out of his reach. 

To be honest, I drifted off to sleep in the final few minutes of the game and was shocked this morning when I learned that the Saints had actually lost.  There is a lot to like about both of these teams, with their talent, cool uniforms, and rather humble collective demeanor, so it was hard to root for either team in particular.  This was one of those matchups in which a true football fan just hoped for a competitive and exciting affair and I don’t think these teams disappointed with their topsy-turvy back and forth contest last night.  While Reggie Bush’s talent gets most of the headlines, his professionalism and humility are two of his strongest attributes.  I hope that both of these teams find success down the road.  Oddly enough, the NFC South has suddenly become a powerhouse Division, with every team save the Saints enjoying a winning record (including the Falcons!) so the Saints will certainly have their work cut out for them as they attempt to make a playoff run.

With that game out the way, we’ll get to the meat of this post, the First Official MIMM NFL Rankings of the season.  While many sports news sites and opinion pages rank-order the teams on a weekly basis, a la college football’s arcane ranking system, here at MIMM we will only issue our rankings three times: at the conclusion of the first quarter of the season, the midway point, and on the outset of the fourth quarter of the season.  Final rankings will only include playoff teams, as where the Rams or Chiefs, for example, stack up after Week 17 is essentially irrelevant.

The other thing to note about what makes the MIMM Rankings different is that these rankings are broken down by Conference.  Why?  Well, as it may be fun to see where one’s favorite team stacks up across the board, the only thing that really matters as far as the playoffs are concerned is how that team compares against other teams in its Conference and Division.  Only six teams from each Conference will make the playoffs, so for obvious reasons, a team’s sole goal should be to end up among the top six teams in their Conference or they’re staying home in ‘09, regardless of whether or not they have a better record than a team in the opposing Conference.

So without further ado:

MIMM First Quarter NFL Rankings, National Conference:

1.  New York Giants (4-0) – The only undefeated team in the NFC, the Giants displayed their dominance of the Conference by absolutely decimating Seattle at home, even without the help of unrepentant suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress.  Eli is playing like the other Manning circa 2006, but with less fanfare.  So far these guys are the team to beat and will likely be 6-0 by the time they face the Steelers on October 26th.

2. Washington Redskins (4-1) -  The ‘Skins have to occupy the second spot in the Conference, by virtue of their head-to-head victory over one of the other 4-1 teams in the Conference.  Like the Giants, they too are on a 4-0 run and only seem to be getting better with each victory.  Fortunately for them, it seems as though the toughest part of the schedule is behind them, coming out of their road Division games 2-1 and heading into a stretch against the Rams, the Browns, and the Lions.  Their only risk is overconfidence in these upcoming “should-win” games.

3.  Dallas Cowboys (4-1) - The highest-scoring team in the NFL, the Cowboys biggest adversary might be themselves and the lofty expectations they have collectively set for their organization.  They are in desperate need of leadership and focus.  Evidence of this was on display in their near-miss against the Bengals, who, for an 0-5 team, took the Champs to overtime and nearly toppled the ‘Boys as well.  I am not convinced that this team is built for success in the playoffs, and despite their enormous talent, may end up at home in January once again.

4.  Carolina Panthers (4-1) – I haven’t seen any of their games live, but the Panthers have great talent at the QB and WR position and are extremely well coached.

5.  Chicago Bears (3-2) - Who would have thought that Kyle Orton would be playing like he has, putting up gaudy numbers and leading this team to three tough victories?  As the old adage goes, “defense wins championships,” this team will be extraordinarily difficult to beat in the playoffs.  Their losses are a fluky one to Carolina and another at the hands of an inspired Brian Griese doing the comeback tour.  I think they are aberrations, which will be put behind them as they streak ahead towards the halfway point in the season.  Look for them to be coming in strong for the November 9th matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

6.  Tampa Bay (3-2) – While the Bucs technically wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs if they were to be held today, I think that ultimately their defense makes them a superior team than the Greatest Show of Turf Version 2.0.  I am still unconvinced that the Cards can overcome their habitual losing ways, even with proven winner Kurt Warner at the helm, who by the way, seems to be losing a bit of his mental edge after being shell-shocked by the Anquan Boldin injury against the Jets.  As much as I like Warner, I think the Bucs may have more going for them on the other side of the ball.

7.  Arizona (3-2) – With Kurt Warner at QB, the ‘Cards are fun to watch this year.  Their only hope of reaching the playoffs is to maintain control of the bottom-feeding NFC West, a task they should be up to.  They have a huge test this week at home against Dallas and again the next weekend versus Carolina.  They also have to face the Giants and the ‘Hawks at home so their schedule isn’t exactly easy.  The good news is that the rest of their Division also has the Cowboys and the Giants on their schedule so as long as they can stay on top of their Division games, they have a good chance returning to the playoffs for the first time in ten years.  With Warner chucking the ball, I like their chances.  Plus, it would be a neat way for him to end his career after this season, bringing respectability back to tattered franchise.

8.  Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) – The reason the Eagles top the other 2-3 teams is because they beat the Steelers and went toe-to-toe against the NFC-leading Cowboys and Skins.  Considering they are currently at the bottom of the tough NFC East, their chances of making the playoffs are dwindling with each passing week.

9.  Minnesota Vikings (2-3) – I never understood the preseason Superbowl hype surrounding this team, especially considering their quarterback situation.  Obviously Tavaris is no longer the man, but unfortunately Gus, for whom I first gained affection back when he pulled off the first win of the Redskins 1995 campaign as a backup to Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC), isn’t the answer either.  He is a great backup but has been a backup for most of his career for a reason I am sure.

10.  New Orleans Saints (2-3) - Many deem the Saints the most underachieving team in the league. Like the Cardinals and the Lions, there is just something in their DNA that prevents them winning consistently.  They peaked at the 2006 NFC Championship Game and will likely miss the playoffs this season unless they simply decide to live up to their potential.

11.  Atlanta Falcons (2-3) - Wonderful story that this team, so devastated last year by the antics of Jim Petrino and the crimes of Mike Vick, is putting together a few wins, especially over a respectable opponent like the Green Bay Packers.  A hair below .500 should be considered a success for this team.

12.  Green Bay Packers (2-3) – As much as I love young Aaron’s grit, I think reality is setting in for him and Coach McCarthy.  It is highly likely that this team might not pull off a win until late November.  Prediction check-in:  so far it seems that my prediction of this team going 6-10 might have even been a bit generous.

13. San Francisco (2-3) - Gave the Pats a fight, but 2008 still isn’t their year.  

14.  Seattle Seahawks (1-3) – Amazing how far this team has fallen.  They should pull out a couple of home dates this season but will likely get smooshed by the NFC East.

15.  St. Louis Rams (0-4) – The only reason they’re on top of the Lions is due to their storied past. 

16.  Detroit Lions (0-4) – Forever stinky.  I suggest an off-season uniform change to address their woes.  Worked the ‘Hawks, the Bucs, and the Pats for a while.

MIMM First Quarter NFL Rankings, American Conference:

1.  Tennessee Titans (5-0) – The Titans have demonstrated their “for realness” with wins over solid teams like the Jags, the Vikes and the Ravens.  So far their defense has been superb, especially at creating turnovers.  Despite the weakness of the AFC this season, their toughest games should be against teams in their own Division, like the Colts, who they still haven’t played yet, and the Jags again later in the season.  They have a solid chance of extending this unbeaten streak for quite some time.

2.  Pittsburgh (4-1) – Big Ben has shown incredible toughness in his scrappy wins this season.  Their only loss so far this season came at the hands of the NFC East’s Eagles, but they have the rest of the East to contend with, along with a pretty tough schedule down the stretch.  

3.  Denver (4-1) – The Broncos are 2-1 in the weak AFC West and will likely make the playoffs, but I am not at all sold on this team.  I don’t like their defense and I’m still not convinced that Jay Cutler has the poise to win in the playoffs.

4.  Miami (2-2) – ESPN’s Power Rankings oddly has this team ranked behind both the Chargers and Patriots, although they have beaten them both, one pretty soundly (remember Ronnie Brown?).  They played extremely well against the Jets and easily could have won that game.  I like how Chad Pennington is managing games and obviously their running game is not only effectively, but also pretty groundbreaking in terms of changing the way offense is played in the NFL.  New Prediction Alert: The ‘Fins miss the playoffs but finish at 8-8.

5.  New England (3-1) – This team has struggled against poor opponents, yet I still haven’t seen enough to render a more profound judgement than that.

6.  New York Jets (2-2) – Earlier I predicted that the Jets would finish 11-5, so far I’ve seen nothing to change my mind on that.  Jet Favre will improve as the season progresses, provided he stays healthy, which unsurprisingly seems pretty likely given his resume.

7. Buffalo Bills (4-1) – The Bills have struggled against, and later beaten, some rather mediocre teams.

8.  Indianapolis (2-2) – Who would have thought that the Colts would be standing in the middle of the pack of the inferior AFC?

9.  Jacksonville (2-3) - Despite their record, this team still has a lot of fight in it and could easily make a run during the middle third of the season, especially with dates against both Ohio teams and the team from Michigan.

10.  Baltimore (2-2) - Defense wins championships but Joe Flacco is no Trent Dilfer.

11.  San Diego (2-3) – The New Orleans Saints of the AFC.

12.  Oakland (1-4) – With so many awful teams in the AFC, I’m shocked that there are actually teams that are worse than the Raiders.

13.  Cleveland (1-3) – Will Derek Anderson be traded to Minnesota before the deadline, ushering in the Brady Quinn era?  Probably not the best thing for Quinn’s development.

14.  Houston (0-4) – A legacy of losing for this franchise.  David Carr must be smiling riding the pine at 4-0 in New York.

15.  Cincinnati (0-5) – Even talent like Carson Palmer and Achtzig Funf can’t overcome institutional failure imprinted into this franchise’s DNA.

16.  Kansas City (1-4) – Seems like a nice guy, but how does Herm Edwards continue to get work?

Week 5 MIMM Player of the Week: Reggie Bush.  The young man nearly ran back three punts for touchdowns, virtually single-handedly winning this game for his reeling team.  His performance on Monday night indicated an astonishing ability to shut down the Monkey in his Mind clamoring over the mistakes made by him and his team and focus solely on the task at hand: turning his touch of the football on three separate plays into something magical and awe-inspiring.

Storylines to Watch in Week 6:

• The Redhot-Skins have beaten some good teams, but now it’s time to beat up on some bad teams to prove that they are more than a fluke.
• The Saints are in dire need of a win.  Enter the Raiders.
• Miami looks to crack .500 in Houston.
• Giants will go 5-0 against Cleveland.
• Green Bay continues their losing skid in Seattle.

Matt Bryant, MIMM NFL Player of the Week

With weekends like this, there is no wonder why the National Football League is America’s most popular sport. Consider these Week 4 highlights: Jet Favre throws six touchdown passes in a shootout against the Greatest Show on Turf (Version 2.0), tying Broadway Joe’s franchise record, the Tennesse Titans go 4-0 for the first time in franchise history, the Raiders choke on a 12-point fourth quarter lead, lowly KC pulls the reigns on the Bronco offense while torching their hollow D for 33 points and the win, a Ohio-based football team garners a win, the Eagles reveal a dent in the armor of the NFC East and lose their first game to a non-Division opponent in Chicago, and last but not least, rookie Head Coach Jim Zorn bucks history by beating the NFL’s top-ranked team in their own building (no previous Redskins Coach had been able to win in Dallas on their first attempt).

Monkey In My Mind NFL Player of the Week

Of course we’ll talk more about some of these headliners below, but first I wanted to take a moment to formalize my week-by-week award for the player who puts together a performance that is most indicative of mastering the monkey mind on the fields of friendly strife.

I hadn’t invented the award yet when I wrote the Week 1 Recap, but the Monkey has authorized me to retroactively deem Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers as the Week 1 MIMM NFL Player of the Week, for his ability to put the sideshow of the Brett Favre Saga behind him and pull out a huge opening day victory.

In Week 2, we saw Santana Moss walk away with the award and in Week 3, Ronnie Brown was the no-brainer selection.

WIth the selection of the winner for Week 4, however, for the first time since starting this blog will the Monkey and I have to issue an apology and a correction to a previous post. The post in question was an entry I made on September 20th entitled, “Kickers Are Not Football Players,” in which I essentially argued for the consolidation of the punting and kicking duties into one position. While I still don’t quite understand why there are two people on the squad to handle these rather similar functions, I now realize that my headline was a bit brash and possibly offensive to NFL kickers, who deserve a bit more respect than I had initially offered, especially in light of an incredible performance by a kicker this weekend, who is the recipient of this week’s Monkey In My Mind NFL Player of the Week Award: Tampa Bay Kicker Matt Bryant.

Tragically, Bryant lost his infant son eariler this week, yet still chose to suit up with his brethren and take the field against Rodgers and the Pack, a “Bay of Pigs” matchup a la the old NFC Central. The fact that Bryant was even able to step out onto the field, much less hammer home the game-winning field goal, along with several other scores earlier in the game, indicates incredible mental toughness, perseverence, leadership, and dedication to ideals above and beyond himself. In fact, Bryant’s performance – triumph amidst tradgedy – literally personifies the Overcoming of the Monkey Mind. In a way that is unfathomable to me as a father, Bryant was able to offer up his performance to his deceased son and his teammates in an inspiring and enlightening manner.

In addition, only now do I realize that my rail against kickers in that post was itself a manifestation of the Monkey Mind in action, similar to my previous free admission that I was harboring resentment towards Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler for the actions of their coaches and/or team management.

That being said, NFL Football Player Matt Bryant wins this week’s Monkey in My Mind Player of the Week Award.

On to this week’s games…

Skins Unseat Beasts of the East

JC Takes the B of the E Award from Romo

In one of the most hotly anticipated games of the weekend, the Washington Redskins visited Texas Stadium for perhaps the last time to take on the undefeated, top-ranked and arch-rival Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins entered the contest on a two-game winning streak but the high-scoring Cowboys were the unanimous favorites. The Skins were seeking credibility and legitimacy, while the Cowboys were attempting to put their playoff miscues behind them and establish themselves as the leaders of the NFL elite, with the Patriots’ stranglehold on the league suddenly challenged.

The keys to the Redskins’ upset victory were multifold.

• Primarily, their recent success has come hand-in-hand with the marked improvement of QB Jason Campbell. The man hasn’t thrown an interception yet this year and has so far managed to put together a string of extremely efficient performances, quietly checking in as the #4 ranked Passer in the league. To put this accomplishment into perspective, every other quarterback ranked in the top 7 in the league in Passer Rating (Favre, Rivers, Brees, Warner, Romo, and Cutler, respectively) has four interceptions! each
• Secondly, the Redskins D, while allowing over 300 yards per game, has made stops and key turnovers when necessary. Rookie Chris Horton currently stands tied at #2 in the league with 3 interceptions. And, kudos toShawn Springs for making T.O. look like Brandon Lloyd.
• Thirdly, while now a West Coast Offense team, Rookie Head Coach Jim Zorn realizes that the Redskins will likely never stray too far from the rich tradition of power running. Clinton Portis is currently the #5 rusher in the league and has done so without a fumble. The Skins controlled the clock in this ball game through a perfect Yin Yang balance between passing to speedy receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randel El, and putting the ball game on the backs of the Redskins Rushing Corps.
• Finally, the previous point leads right into sound coaching. So far Zorn seems to be learning from his mistakes. All you can ever ask for in life is to improve everyday. The Skins are making strides each week and that kind of progress is hard to argue with. They will be facing a hungry Eagles ball club after their very tough loss to an extremely physical Bears Defense. If the Skins can manage back-to-back wins within their Division, the NFL’s toughest, they will suddenly find that they too are surprisingly among the NFL’s new elite.

And oh by the way, they win the right to call themselves Beasts of the East, a title to be challenged next week against Philly.

A word about the ‘Boys. They are a talented team. Among their talented athletes one stands out among the rest. His name is Marion Barber III. Do not forget about him. He had nine touches in that game. Inexcusable.

Skins-Boys Highlights below…

Touchdownapalooza in the Meadowlands

Lucky Throwbacks?

This week, two, count ‘em, TWO teams in the NFL named the Titans won their games. And if I were the person within the New York Jets organization responsible for choosing which uniforms the team wears on Sundays I would keep those ratty blue and gold unis within reach after the bye next week.

Oh So Sweet Eagle Throwback Unis

Much like Donovan McNabb lighting up the Detroit Lions last year for 4 TD’s and 56 points while wearing the “so ugly they’re bad-assed” Eagle throwback unis, Jet Favre lit up the Arizona Cardinals for 6 TD’s and 56 points while wearing the “so ugly they’re bad-assed” Jet (A.K.A. New York Titans) throwback unis. Oddly enough, the losing quarterbacks in both games (Warner against the Titans, Kitna against the Eagles) threw for over 400 yards each and couldn’t pull out a win. What’s especially notable about the New York win is the fact that the Cardinals committed seven turnovers! I’m not sure if I’ve witnessed that many turnovers in a game in my entire life (the NFL record is 12, tied by three teams in 1942, 1950, and 1965).

The Buffalo Bills wore their “Standing Buffalo” throwback unis earlier in the season and won, while the Pittsburgh Steelers wore their “Bizarro World” (yellow helmets, black jerseys with yellow numbers, & white pants) throwback unis against Baltimore Monday Night and won (also winning while wearing them twice last year, ironically against Buffalo and Baltimore).

I’m a huge fan of throwback unis and personally loved the Redskins yellow-helmeted “R” logo unis, which were designed by Vince Lombardi himself, and worn most recently in 2007 when the Skins suffered a horrific collapse against New York in Week 3 at home. I also love their “Arrow Head” throwbacks that I last saw worn during the Steve Spurrier days. As the Redskins were unsuccessful in most of these games, I doubt they’ll be going back to throwbacks any time soon. Lately they seem to be digging the all-white outfit, the uni they’ve worn during their two playoff runs (2005 and 2007) during the Joe Gibbs II Era.

Another great throwback fave of mine are the powder-blue digs of the San Diego Chargers, which should definitely see the light of day more often. Anyway, except in the case of the ‘Skins, throwbacks mean W’s, so my question is: Why don’t teams wear them more often?

Titans-Cardinals Highlights Below…

Steel Curtain Call for Ravens

“There is no personal foul on the play…only one member of the Steelers jumped into the stands” — NFL Referee, Ravens at Steelers, Sept. 29, 2008

This game was not pretty, but nothing in the AFC North is. The Steelers had a lot to prove after falling to the Eagles and failing to score a touchdown. Both defenses ran clinics against one another but ultimately, Rookie Ravens QB Joe Flacco was manhandled by the Steelers rush. Big Ben wasn’t getting many favors either, but his defense bailed him out with an interception returned for a TD exactly 15 seconds after ending the Steelers’ offensive (both senses of the word) TD drought.

Storylines to Watch in Week 5

With most teams having played a full quarter of their season, we’ll finally get a sense of who’s who and what’s what with our MIMM Quarterly NFL Rankings. And watch out for these key matchups:

• Miami will get a chance to prove whether or not their domination of New England was an aberration or the real thing when the Chargers come to town.
• Resurging Tampa Bay and their tough D will challenge Denver’s offense and we now know Griese and company can move that offense.
• Arizona doesn’t get any breaks after their resounding thumping at the hands of the Jets with the undefeated Buffalo Bills heading their way.
• Dallas takes on Cincy at home and they had better win, and win big, to silence the growing concerns about a lack of leadership surrounding the “T.O. Effect” on their franchise.
• Beast of the East is up for grabs in Philly.
• And the Giants get to prove if they are as good as many think they are with a home date against Seattle (with playing at home being the preferable way to take on the Seahawks, just as ask the Redskins).
• …And will the swarming Titans D keep Joe Flacco on his heals in Baltimore to assure continued, yet aesthetically ugly perfection (5-0) for Vince Young-less ball club?