But I will still question what his thought process was when he dropped the dime to the league office to allege that the Seattle Seahawks were piping artificial noise into the Qwest Field speakers a week before the Giants traveled back to Seattle to face the Seahawks.
Was it done to catch the Seahawks in the act, or was it to create a built-in excuse in case his team of "soft" players couldn't get it done?
It's likely that we'll never know the answer, as it's unlikely the Giants will be making a return trip to Seattle in the Accorsi Era. He's retiring after this season, and the 1-2 Giants do not appear to be heading towards the playoffs.
Recapping the Sunday action:
Miami 13, Tennessee 10 - I'd occasionally flip over to this game, hoping to see the Dolphins driving on Tennessee (I took Miami minus the 10.5 points) for a touchdown. Every time I clicked on channel 710, I saw a punter. That's never a good sign.
Washington 31, Houston 15 - See what happens when you have a moderately healthy Clinton Portis on the field? Unless his arm is falling off, there's no reason he should be on the inactive list, Joe Gibbs.
Indianapolis 21, Jacksonville 14 - Statistically, the Jaguars dominated the first 3 quarters of the game...but still trailed 14-7. It was clear that the Colts missed their injured defenders (particularly Bob Sanders), as the Jaguars ran all over them in the 1st half, controlling the clock and keeping Peyton Manning on the sidelines. Still, it wasn't enough as the Colts eventually gashed the Jags for a pair of second half touchdowns and got the big division win. One thing is for certain: The Jaguars defense is very good, and Maurice Jones-Drew is going to be a very good running back for Jacksonville.
Green Bay 31, Detroit 24 - The Rod Marinelli era is looking a lot like the
New York Jets 28, Buffalo 20 - Are the Jets for real? Two road wins would indicate that they are. The involvement of Kerry Collins and JP Losman would indicate that you may want to give it a few more games. As for Buffalo, how do you lose at home with a 300-yard passer, a 150-yard rusher and TWO 100-yard receivers? That can't possibly have happened before.
Cincinnati 28, Pittsburgh 20 - Do you still think I'm nuts for saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the 3rd best team in the AFC North and won't make the playoffs? The offense isn't too fearsome with Randle El's versatility, Plaxico Burress red-zone prowess and Jerome Bettis' leadership. The defense is very good, but they couldn't handle the Bengals offense. Carson Palmer is looking better and better each week, and I'm comfortable enough to say that the Bengals will repeat as division champs.
Carolina 26, Tampa Bay 24 - The Bucs season is officially over. They're 0-3, Chris Simms just had his spleen removed, and now the offense is going to be led by rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski. If you have Cadillac Williams in your fantasy league, trade him now and accept that you're going to get .40 cents on the dollar for him. As for Carolina, the package on the offense clearly reads "Just Add Steve Smith".
Chicago 19, Minnesota 16 - It wasn't pretty, and if it weren't for an fumbled exchange between Brad Johnson and Chester Taylor, the Vikings likely would've run out the clock, but the Bears got a huge division win. They're sitting pretty at 3-0, with all three wins coming inside the division. They'll go 6-0 in the division, too, as they still have Minnesota and Green Bay at home. As for Minnesota, they have to ecstatic with the 2-1 start. With the rest of the NFC contenders (NY Giants, Dallas, Washington, Carolina, Arizona) slumping, they're in good position to get a wild card slot.
Baltimore 15, Cleveland 14 - With McNair, Mason, Lewis, Heap and that defense, what were the Ravens doing trailing by 11 in the 4th quarter? With San Diego coming to town, Baltimore needs to get a lot better very quickly to be taken seriously.
Seattle 42, New York Giants 30 - Have you ever heard the saying "Oh, it was closer than the score indicates"? Well, reverse that one. Seattle led by 39 points entering the 4th quarter, went into "prevent" mode and the Giants got some cheap, meaningless points. Still, some are praising the way Manning played in the 2nd half. So let me see if I understand this correctly.
When the Seahawks blitzed and disguised their coverages, Manning's QB rating was 21.1. After the Giants were down by 32 points, and Seattle settled into a soft zone coverage, rushing no more than 4 guys with 0 blitzers, Manning had a 149.8 rating.
So that's the key! The Giants should just coast in the 1st half, trail by 17+ points, and let Manning lead them to a comeback win. They won't win many games that way, but at least they'll get Manning to the Pro Bowl.
Philadelphia 38, San Francisco 24 - Last week's loss to the Giants was an abberation. Right now, this is the best team in the NFC East. It'll be interesting to see how they manage the rest of the season with Jevon Kearse, but Trent Cole is an emerging pass-rushing threat. 10 career sacks in just 18 games. Not too shabby, kid.
St. Louis 16, Arizona 14 - The Rams message was crystal clear: "Hey Arizona, if you want 2nd place in the NFC West, you're going to have to go through us!" Does Kurt Warner still think he plays for the Rams? I ask because of some of those INTs he threw were head-scratchers.
Denver 17, New England 7 - With 3 Super Bowl rings, a spot reserved in Canton, and a gorgeous girl on his arm, you really have to wonder why Tom Brady has such a long face these days. Could it be that he left a considerable amount of money on the table so his cap number would allow New England to keep the core of the team together, and he watched them allow David Givens, Willie McGinest and Adam Vinatieri to walk away scot-free, trade Deion Branch for a snuffleupagus, and try to "make do" with Doug Gabriel (Raiders reject), Reche Caldwell (Chargers reject), recent "graduate" Junior Seau and a rookie kicker? Could that be the reason?
Hey, I know that thanks to it's other 3 inept occupants, the Patriots are going to win the AFC East with a 10-6 (maybe 11-5, but I doubt it) record, host a playoff game in January, when it's 10 degrees and snowing in Foxborough, but this does not look like a team that can compete with Cincinnati, Indianapolis or San Diego, regardless of venue. And the decisions (or lack thereof) in the off-season have everything to do with it.
Windows of opportunities are still very small in the NFL, and it's arrogant to believe that because you've got the best head coach and the best quarterback, you're destined to be a factor. The reality is you need quality contributors to get to, and win, the Super Bowl. The Patriots have allowed too many of those guys to freely walk out the door because they had the audacity to ask for some of Billionaire Bob's money, and the play on the field is beginning to show it.
Monday Night Prediction
My heart is with the Saints tonight (my picks record be damned), but my head is telling that the Atlanta Falcons will win rather easily tonight, 31-20. Too much Vick, Dunn and Jerius Norwood.
Odell "Turd"man Arrested for DUI
Already sitting out a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy wasn't about to get Odell Thurman's way of getting his "drink on", and now the 2nd-year linebacker is facing DUI charges after being pulled over near a DUI checkpoint and failing a breathalyzer test.
Thurman, driving teammate Reggie McNeal's SUV, blew a .18 on the test, over twice the legal limit.
The least surprising element of this incident is that Chris Henry was in the vehicle with Thurman. Henry has been arrest nearly half a dozen times in the last 12 months, but hasn't committed the sort of infractions that have landed him on the suspension list. Henry had a pair of touchdown receptions in Sunday's win.
1 comments:
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