Lessons Learned in Week 12

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In December of 2000 a fellow by the name of Curtis Yanko wrote a note on a message board that said that Kevin Gilbride (currently offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills) had been fired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OC because his offense was too complicated and would probably never be successful in the NFL. Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to the Curtis Yankos of the world?

Travis Henry is involved in 26 plays totaling 98 yards. Travis Henry is playing on what is considered a fracture of the fibula (to you and me a broken leg). Travis Henry lost one game earlier this season when he had torn cartilage in his ribs. Travis Henry is a monster!

Only in small venues like Buffalo and Green Bay would a superstar like Thurman Thomas come out and cheer IN THE CROWD. Can you imagine Lawrence Taylor going to sit among the fans at Giants Stadium?

The Colts now play the Patriots (at home) and Titans in the next two weeks. Don’t you think Tony Dungy would be happy with a split?

The Jets have got to be thinking … “well we got Pennington back … we play the Titans and Patriots at home … and we’ve got the Dolphins, Bills, and Steelers on the road. Hummm … maybe we CAN finish up 9-7.” Not a prayer. More like 6-10.

Truth be known the Jets looked just awful in this game. How do you win a game while getting one first down on the ground?

Chad Pennington is the veteran … right? Byron Leftwich is the rookie … right? Correcto! BUT … Pennington has only started eight more games (16) games in his career than Leftwich. Take a look at this … is Pennington that good or is Leftwich a slow starter?

OK, let’s see if I got this straight:

With 16 seconds left to play in the first half and the ball on their own 36, Billick calls a running play by Chester Taylor, rather than “taking a knee.” Taylor fumbles; the Seahawks recover and run to the 10 from where Hasselbeck throws a TD pass to Engram to end the half. Coach Billick’s comment is “the last time I took a knee the fans booed…”

With 44 seconds left on the clock and ahead by 3 points with the ball on the Ravens 33 yard line, Coach Holmgren elects to go for a first down on 4th and one (can you spell P-U-N-T?). The Seahawks fail to get the first down and turn over the ball. Seconds later Baltimore ties the game.

Two plays before Holmgren’s brilliant call the officials failed to restart the clock after an inadvertent penalty flag and handed the Ravens an additional 35+ seconds, which, as reported above, they used to tie the game and, eventually, go on to win the game in overtime.

Were they all Bozos on that bus?

For all its rough edges and wacky calls this was a way fun game to watch. Baltimore continues to fool everyone by having the third most offensive points scored in the AFC while a full 18 other teams in the NFL have allowed fewer points than the Ravens.

In his last eight games, Deuce McAllister has averaged over 5.4 yards per carry while gaining 1025 yards. This is the NFL; backs are not supposed to be able to do this.

Andy Reid deserves all of the credit in the world for keeping the Eagles together after a 2-3 start. He’ll be tested further with the Eagles having to play the Panthers, Cowboys, and Dolphins in their next three games. Two of those games are on the road (Carolina and Miami). If they come out of these games 2-1 they will be on their way to the playoffs.

Evidence of Reid’s cleverness is the running back rotation he has established. Knowing that none of his three backs (Westbrook, Staley, and Buckhalter) are true “studs”, he has worked them into a system whereby they carry an equal share of the load. Against the Saints they ran nine, eight, and seven times respectively for a very respectful 148 yards. Add McNabb’s rushing yardage (54 yards in seven carries) and you have a grand total of 202 yards on 31 carries.

I think I’m beginning to hear them play “Oh when the Saints go marching out!”

After the Browns ran off 24 plays in the first quarter and had only six points to show for it, you just knew that the Dawgs would be baying at the moon later that night.

When the Steelers total only 182 yards (79 of them passing) against the Browns and the Steelers win, you know that the changing of the guard in the AFC North is now complete. Welcome, Baltimore and Cincinnati!

“I left my team in San Francisco … high on a hill they call to me … to be where little quarterbacks … end up flat on their backs … the Sundays we were on a tear … but it ain’t the same if we’re not there…” (Apologies to Tony Bennett, and songwriters Douglass Cross and George Cory)

49ers at home: 5-1. 49ers NOT at home: 0-5

Brett Favre has only one game this year in which he has not thrown an interception. Yet the Packers keep winning and if you think about it, you’ve got to give credit to an excellent offensive line that leads the NFL in rushing and has allowed only 12 sacks all year long. Major highs all around for offensive line coach Larry Beightol, who has been affiliated with 13 college and pro teams since he began coaching in 1968.

If you can’t run (see: Detroit Lions), sooner or later the D will just lay back and invite you to pass. James Stewart is not the answer, so if Detroit is waiting for his return next year they will be sorely disappointed. Get some offensive line help to protect your investment in Harrington and provide a few holes for a decent runner.

Two interceptions returned for TDs were the difference in this game. Don’t be fooled by the score. The Vikings did not look good and Culpepper is going through one of his funks. IDEA: sit Moss for a game and make Culpepper look to other receivers. Crazy idea, but Daunte has got to stop doing his Abbott and Costello routine with Moss. THROW THE BALL TO SOMEONE ELSE!

Mike Tice has seven wins with five games to go. Three of those games are against the Rams, Seahawks and Chiefs. While of course there is no such thing as a “sure thing”, the Packers play the Lions, Bears, Chargers and Raiders in four of their last five games. Minnesota … those footsteps are the PACKERS!

Parcells’ finest coaching game of the season. This was a perfect “you just won a big one and we just lost a big one” letdown/upswing game, and the Cowboys won it by taking away what the Panthers do best: run (75 yards) and sack (one).

Isn’t it about time that Parcells and John Fox lined up and had a race to a salad bar?

Fox’s challenge now is to guide this team into the playoffs. With no real veteran leader on the team there is a danger that the Panthers could stroll right into a first round playoff loss. Meanwhile, Parcells is in a perfect position. His team is playing pretty well, they are on a high, and the thing that Parcells does best of all is take his team’s emotional temperature.

I know that all good teams win the very, very close ones, but my God, the Patriots have squeezed out some pretty amazing wins this year. The truth will out. Either this is a team that has been extremely lucky or they are a team that simply knows how to put itself in situations where it can win.

Consistent with this theme and just a bit scary, Tom Brady is beginning to look just a little, little bit like the Joe Montana of the 2000s. Now I know it’s a bit crazy to say something like that so early on, but just keep an eye on it. As Stephen Stills once said, “There is something happening here.”

I don’t know where to put this, but didn’t Glen Campbell have a hit song called “Wichita Wineman?”

One game difference between the Bears and the Broncos? Were we all sleeping when this happened?

Kordell’s kinda like that guy who you don’t really like, but who always shows up to help you move into a new apartment when no one else does. You’re glad he’s there, but you don’t really want to hang out with him.

Is it possible that despite all the potential in the world Jake Plummer will never be a big-time winner?

Do you think that it might be possible that some of these great running back teams like the Saints, Broncos, Chargers and Dolphins, to name a few, might get into a system with these running backs (McAllister, Portis, Tomlinson and Ricky Williams) whereby the offense becomes imbalanced? All four of those backs had good to great weeks last week and only one of their teams won (and by just one point at that).

Over the past couple of weeks we have had a ton of very close games, many of them including heavy underdogs. Doesn’t it just make you want to pee your pants when you think of the last few weeks of the season? Take the Rams for example. Their last four games are in Cleveland, at home against Seattle and Cincinnati, and on the road against the Lions. Now you tell me which of those games are “locks” for the Rams!

Is it possible that Marshall Faulk is back? One hundred and thirty-three yards, combined rushing and passing, is pretty tame for Faulk in his prime, but is not a bad set of numbers for a guy trying to return to form.

You can’t help giving the Falcons credit one more time. Their last three loses (yes, I know they are loses) have been to the Titans, Saints, and Eagles. Those three teams have a combined record of 22-11. The Falcons lost to these teams by a total of 17 points and were in each one of these games.

With Warrick Dunn down for the season it might be time to listen to those folks who have been saying to hold Michael Vick out till next year and begin all over.

OK, how many of you know that Billy Volek has been in the NFL for four years? Those of you who knew, please go over there and stand next to the parents who let their child stay overnight at Michael Jackson’s house. The bus will be here shortly to take you all away to a nice comfortable asylum villa.

Do I still have to watch Keyshawn and Jimmy Johnson (separated at birth) talk to each other if I take back all those bad things I said about Rick Meier over the years?

Dick Vermeil is chastised by the NFL for trying to reward kicker Morton Anderson’s game winning field goal with a $500 bottle of wine. I have several issues about this. First of all, exactly where do you buy a $500 bottle of wine? I looked at Sam’s Club and couldn’t find a single one. Secondly, what with rape charges, murders, gun charges, illegal drugs, and a whole assortment of other trifling matters to deal with, wouldn’t you think the Commissioner’s Office would be a little too busy to pay attention to a guy wanting to buy another guy a bottle of wine? Lastly, isn’t it funny that the same day the “wine” story broke Glen Campbell was arrested on a DWI charge? I just loved his song “Wichita Wineman!”

Did anyone hear Corey Dillon asking to be traded after the game? Geeze, what a surprise!

As much as I would like to think otherwise, I figure the Bengals for 8-8 with wins over the Browns and 49ers and losses to the Steelers, Ravens, and Rams (all on the road).

Has anyone lately thought about using two true running backs in the same backfield at the same time? Didn’t they once do this? Hornung & Taylor? Csonka, Morris, and Kiick? Harris & Bleier? I’m not talking here about sharing time, I’m talking about simultaneously being in the same backfield. Rudi Johnson and Corey Dillon? Why not?

Maybe Jay Fiedler’s just smart. Maybe Brian Griese’s just “D-U-M.” As athletes, I’d take Griese any day, but I’ll be darned, the kid just can’t cut it in the NFL. Griese may be one of those QBs who comes off the bench four years from now and plays like an All-Pro.

Imagine what Pennington would be like with Moss and Coles…

What a curious way to coach. Wannstedt doesn’t go to Griese at halftime and say, “Hey look, you’re struggling out there and Fiedler is ready to go … let’s see if we can shake things up and start Jay in the 2nd half. You’ve done all the things we asked of you, but let’s try and pull this one out since we’re loosing by 13. I appreciate your efforts…” No, he puts the guy out there in the second half, clearly planning to use Fiedler if Griese has trouble, waits for the kid to throw an interception and than inserts Fiedler. Hello, Dave! Management 101!

It took everything in Al Michaels’ power to not nail FOX for hiring malcontent Keyshawn Johnson. Madden, in his own stumbling way, made an excellent summary of the matter. Madden’s points were that what you tolerate when you’re winning will haunt you when you’re losing, and that head coaches send messages … it’s the most important part of their job.

I don’t think they’re that good a football team, but it should be pretty easy for the Bucs to win four of their last five (Falcons, Jaguars, Texans, and Saints).

Now that the Giants’ season is over it’s time to begin figuring out what went wrong. The Giants have arguably the fifth best offense in the NFL. Their defense, however, is ranked 20th in total yards allowed. Still, don’t you think that they should have more than four wins? Sometimes it takes a few years to get over the loss of a key coach (Fox).

What can you say about an organization like the KKK where the initiation process requires that you get shot in the head? This has nothing to do with the Giants, Bucs, or NFL football, but, come on; you just can’t pass up material like that!

 
Ted Whiteside’s Lessons Learned column, featuring his sharp eye for football and equally sharp wit, is a weekly feature at the Cafe.