Best of the Best: Top Week 11 Performances

New England's rampant 34-point game closes out what was another solid slate of games this past weekend. Lets take a look back at some of the better performances that made up the 11th week of the season.

Criteria: To make this list of top performances, the performer must either put up a great stat-line or make a couple of huge plays to lead his team to victory. As in, the player may not have been playing for a team that lost this past weekend. Crazy stat-line, or crazy antics, will land yourself on this list for Week 11 action..

Tim Tebow, DEN–9/20, 104 yards, 8 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD

The stat-line was ugly. Heck, the first three quarters of play were pretty ugly for Tebow and his Broncos. Denver's offense had just one third-down conversion before the final drive of the game and Denver's defense certainly kept them in the game. But Tebow's 95-yard drive, capped by a 20-yard run proved his gutsiness and that he has leadership skills.

Now, of course, people are still going to doubt his throwing ability. Why wouldn't they? He has completed just 44.8 % of his passes this season. But for now, Tebow has turned the Broncos around to a playoff contending team in the West. And for that, he gets a spot on the Top Performances list.

Matthew Stafford, DET–28/36, 335 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

Tebow's last-second antics got him on this list, but Stafford is a different story. His five touchdown tosses in Detroit's 49-35 triumph over Carolina gets him on the list. He spread the ball around, throwing each touchdown to a different player, none of which were named Calvin Johnson. Shocking, right?

Kevin Smith added 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground, but if it wasn't for Stafford's video game-like stat line the Panthers (put up 35 points) would have won the game.

LeSean McCoy, PHI–23 carries, 113 yards

He didn't manage to get in to the end zone for the Eagles on Sunday night, but he was a huge reason why the Eagles pulled out an upset of the New York Giants. Granted the defense stopped Eli Manning and the G-Men's offense to just 10 points, but without the help of McCoy's productiveness in the run game, it would have been awfully tough for Philly to finish off those scoring drives. Vince Young, filling in for the injured Michael Vick, threw three picks. If McCoy is ineffective, Philadelphia may not have been able to overcome those mistakes and put together those three scoring drives.

McCoy's production seemed to have overshadowed VY's mistakes in the passing game.

Torrey Smith, BAL–6 Rec., 165 yards, 1 TD

Two weeks after his game-winning touchdown reception against division rival Pittsburgh, the rookie out of the University of Maryland went out and set a personal-best with six receptions and 165 yards. It was his second 100-yard game of his short career, and his 38-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter ended up being the deciding score in Baltimore's 31-24 victory over rookie quarterback Andy Dalton's Bengals.

Chris Clemons, SEA–5 tackles (3 solo), 3 sacks, 1 PD

Seattle dominated the St. Louis Rams on Sunday afternoon, defeating them 24-7 and dropping them to 2-8. The offense gained 289 yards and three touchdowns on offense, but it was the defense that stopped St. Louis in its tracks. Clemons led the team with five tackles and sacked second-year quarterback Sam Bradford on three separate occasions. Great defensive effort from the Seahawks, who improved to 4-6.

Jason Babin, PHI–3 solo tackles, 1 sack, 1 FR, 2 PD

Babin's game-clinching sack and strip of New York quarterback Eli Manning was the biggest play the Eagles' defense had all day, with the exception of maybe linebacker Jamar Chaney's interception and 14-yard return of a Manning pass. He played tough football all game and was finally able to make the game-changing play on New York's final drive to complete the NFC East upset, 17-10.

Von Miller, DEN–10 tackles (9 solo), 1.5 sacks, 3 TFL, 1 PD

I believe I stated this in an earlier post, but Miller is in the middle of the running for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award at this point in the season, and he may very well be the favorite. Miller was the biggest play-maker on the field when New York had the ball, and he ran sideline-to-sideline making tackles all game. His 1.5 sacks on the night puts him at fifth in the entire league through 11 weeks of play. Not to mention he hit Mark Sanchez a total of four times throughout the game, and it's not like he really blitzed too often.

Tramon Williams, GB–9 tackles (7 solo), 2 PD, 2 INTs

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a spectacular game once again, but that's nothing out of the usual. It was, to be honest, the GB cornerback Williams who won the game for the Pack this time. Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman had a decent outing (342 yards, 2 TDs), but his two interceptions, both picked off by Williams, kept the Bucs out of the win column.

Williams was the game's leading tackler with 9, and his two INTs sealed a 9-point victory, improving Green Bay to 10-0 on the season.

Honorable mentions: Matt Moore, Kevin Smith, Jordy Nelson, Rob Gronkowski, Patrick Willis, Kyle Arrington, Bernard Pollard


Photo credit
T. Smith: AP Photo/Gail Burton
Babin: Al Bello/Getty Images

MNF: Patriots blow-out Kansas City, Brady says "wish we played better"

This seems to be a recurring theme in New England.

The New England Patriots' offense blows an opponent out of the water and quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are quoted as saying "we didn't play to our potential" in the post-game interview–or press conference.

Almost as if they were expecting perfection. Not a bad way to approach each week, to say the least.

Albeit, the offense did start a bit shaky, running 12 plays for just 33 yards and being shut out in the first quarter of play. Brady was sacked and stripped of the ball to end New England's third drive early in the second quarter, and was sacked two more times the following drive (three total throughout the game).

But it's the NFL we're talking about. Can't every offense go out every drive and play perfect football. On its fifth drive of the game, New England went out and produced a six-play, 85-yard scoring drive which was capped by a 52-yard strike down the center of the field to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The rest was a piece of cake for the 7-3 Patriots.

The offense produced 34 points on 380 total yards with just the early Brady fumble being its only turnover of the game. Kansas City scored first on an opening quarter field goal off the foot of Ryan Succop, but that's the only points the Chiefs managed against New England's 31st ranked pass defense.

For Kansas City Monday night was certainly a learning experience. Former Pittsburgh Panther south paw, Tyler Palko, was making his first career NFL start. Before tonight, the lefty had just 13 career pass attempts in the league. He has had minimal experience with four different NFL teams, a UFL team and a CFL team.

Though he fared fairly well early on, filling in for the injured Matt Cassel who is expected to miss the remainder of the season, he ended the game with three picks and had just one scoring drive to show from it.

The three interceptions make his first impression rather weak (though one was deflected off a receiver's hands), but I think it's tough to pin the 34-3 loss solely on the shoulders of Palko. Not only was this his first start, but he was also forced in to throwing the ball 38 times (completed 25 passes for 236 yards). He received minimal help from the running game, who collectively ran for 126 yards but the Chiefs should have relied more heavily on the rushing attack.

Pinning nearly 40 pass attempts on a guy with as little experience as Palko seemed like a foolish thing to do, even if they were up against a weak pass defense. New England brought the pressure all game, sacking Palko three times, deflecting five passes and getting hits on Palko nine separate times. He was rattled and you could obviously tell the pressure was getting to his head.

At 4-6, the Chiefs are just two games behind the first place Raiders and Broncos in the AFC West division, and if head coach Todd Haley expects to make an attempt at the playoffs down the stretch, they will need to get more production out of the running game.

This will be tough to do without Pro Bowl back Jamaal Charles on the field (lost Charles to injury in Week 2), but giving play-maker Dexter McCluster more touches could quickly take the pressure off Palko.

Kansas City has a tough road ahead (PIT, CHI, NYJ, GB, OAK, DEN), in fact it appears they could have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, but this will give Palko much needed experience down the road.

Photo credit

Belichick: AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Palko: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Week 11 Game Predictions

The Broncos pulled within a half a game with a win over Rex Ryan's Jets on Thursday night, giving new meaning to Oakland's match-up with the Vikings on Sunday. Here are the rest of my game picks for Week 11's action (I had picked the Jets to beat the Broncos).

Sunday November 20

Ravens over Bengals

Rookie Andy Dalton has fared really well early on, but playing two of the game's top defenses in back-to-back weeks is bound to take a toll on such an inexperienced quarterback.

Jaguars over Browns

Peyton Hillis' 211 rushing yards and two TDs so far this season has proved that the "Madden curse" has struck again. Colt McCoy has been a disappointment thus far as well.

Lions over Panthers

Ndamukong Suh must be salivating over this match-up with rookie quarterback Cam Newton. And I would expect the Stafford-Megatron connection to be brought back up against Carolina's secondary this week.

Packers over Bucs

Josh Freeman was expected to breakout with Tampa this season, but I haven't seen much to prove this through 10 weeks of play. Green Bay will improve to 10-0.

Dolphins over Bills

Buffalo's hopeful season has crashed and burned, riding a two-game losing streak (5-4). Something leads me to believe that Miami's sudden hot streak (two consecutive victories after an 0-7 start) will continue against Ryan Fitzpatrick's Bills.

Vikings over Raiders

Carson Palmer's Raiders are fighting to keep its half game division lead over Denver, but I think rookie Christian Ponder will bounce back after Monday night's devastating loss...note: his only poor performances of the season came against the 9-0 Packers.

Cowboys over Skins

With Philadelphia's struggles continuing, Tony Romo and his 'Boys get the perfect opportunity to make a late-season playoff run. At 5-4, a victory here over Washington (five-game losing streak) would put them in great position.

Niners over Cardinals

Kevin Kolb is by far the biggest off-season mistake, and he may not even be in the lineup Sunday against the one-loss Niners. Frank Gore and the Niners will once again put up a solid scoring day against Arizona's defense.

Seahawks over Rams

Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has shown some promise at times this season, though this may be the game with the least importance out of all the games being played this week.

Titans over Falcons

Yes, I'm calling the upset. Tennessee has the momentum after a crushing victory over Carolina last week as they battle it out with Houston for the AFC South division. It may be tough for Atlanta to bounce back from a devastating loss to New Orleans last week.

Bears over Chargers

With Matt Forte on the field, Chicago doesn't need much help from signal caller Jay Culter (he attempted just 19 passes in the team's 37-13 victory over Detroit last week). Chicago is one of the top three teams in the NFC right now, riding a four-game win streak.

Giants over Eagles

It's Week 11 and we've all already ruled Philadelphia (3-6; tied with Washington for third/last in the NFC East) out of playoff contention. A loss here would confirm it. Eli is looking for the knockout punch on Mike Vick.

Monday November 21

Patriots over Chiefs

First Jamaal Charles, now quarterback Matt Cassel. How many more season-ending injuries to star players can Kansas City handle in one season? Kansas City, despite a weaker division, will not be making a playoff run in the West and New England shouldn't have much trouble as long as the offensive line can contain Tamba Hali.

Byes: Texans, Colts, Saints, Steelers

Photo credit

Dolphins Dansby&Taylor: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Damian Williams: AP Photo/Bob Leverone

Broncos stun Jets: Tebow Orchestrates 95-yard Game-winning Drive

Tim Tebow does it again, improving his career record to 5-3 as the starter over the past two seasons.

Down by three points, Tebow (9 for 20, 104 yards passing) leads his Broncos on a 12-play, 95-yard scoring drive in just under five minutes, capping it off with a 20-yard rushing touchdown. The touchdown was the third rushing touchdown of the season for the south paw (ninth of his career).

The 17-13 victory, bringing Denver up to .500 with a 5-5 record, was not all pretty however. Before the final drive Tebow had completed just six passes on 15 attempts for 69 yards. The offense had converted just one third down on 11 tries, and he was his normal, inaccurate self.

What makes Tebow and Denver work so well is that he can finish games. He put the team on his back and accounted for 92 of the 95 yards on that fateful drive.

The critics will still be swarming Tebow with every chance they get. In fact, I myself am not quite sold on him being a successful NFL quarterback in the future. He has done everything he can to win games for the Broncos, and he has done just that, but to be a successful quarterback in this league you need to be able to efficiently pass the ball.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding his accuracy and throwing mechanics, and normally that is quite evident in the first three quarters. Eight pass attempts (last week's win vs. Kansas City) is not going to cut it against most teams in the NFL.

There's no doubt that I support Tebow being the starter in Denver, his impact has been obvious early on–Denver is 1-4 without Tebow and 4-1 with him under center. But he will need to start playing consistent football for a full 60 minutes, and not just the final couple of drives. He has pulled this off in the last five minutes twice now, but how much longer can he go on this way?

The exciting part about this situation is that Denver is now only a half game behind the first place Oakland Raiders. The only way Denver will be able to make a late run to the playoffs in the final stretch is if Tebow shows up for a full four quarters.

One final note: Denver's defense showed up to play tonight as well. Everyone seems to be making a huge deal about Tebow's game-winning drive, but without Andre Goodman's interception of Mark Sanchez, and his 26-yard TD return, they would not have even been in position to win this game.

Rookie linebacker Von Miller puts up a great performance all across the board, recording 10 tackles (9 solo), 1.5 sacks. 3 tackles for a loss, 1 pass deflection and four hits on the quarterback. His 1.5 sacks broke him in to the top five in the league's sack leaders, tying New York (Giants) defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul for third. Miller has me convinced that he is one of the most deserving of the Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, and possibly even a Pro Bowl vote.

Photo credit

Tebow: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

Miller: Ron Chenoy--U.S. Presswire

Hester Already Lock for Hall of Fame?

There's a couple of problems with the National Football League nowadays that I think are fixable, but the biggest one by far is the lack of recognition of special teams.

Commissioner Roger Goodell made a rule change this season that moved the kickoff up five yards, impacting kick returners greatly. It hasn't completely ruled out the kick return game, but there's been a huge difference between the 2010 regular season and this regular season.

Last season the Atlanta Falcons were the team with the lowest total kick returns, at 46. Through 10 weeks in 2011, the leader in kick returns is the New York Jets who have only returned 34 kicks. The touchdown totals have taken a huge hit as well, going from 23 in an entire season down to just six in 10 weeks. The NFL is on pace for less than 12 this season.

That's why it's great to see a guy like Devin Hester come back to life the last two seasons after going two years without getting in to the end zone.

Hester, 28, has already solidified his name in the record books in just his sixth professional season with the Chicago Bears. Though most of his big play impact has come in the punt return game, which has not had a rule change, Hester is still one of the few bright spots left in the special teams game.

The three-time Pro Bowler and All Pro holds the record for most punt return touchdowns (12 on just 193 career returns). What makes it an even more remarkable feat is the fact that Eric Metcalf, whose 10 PR TDs is second most all-time, returned 351 punts over 13 seasons in the league. Brian Mitchell, third all-time in the category, has returned 463 over 14 seasons (only 9 career PR TDs).

It's not only the touchdown totals that has Hester turning heads and causing opposing special teams coaches shaking in their shoes, but it's the amount of time he has accomplished all of this. Punters are advised to kick away from Hester the Great, yet somehow the ball always ends up in his hands, and eventually in the end zone for six points.

A discussion has recently come up on NFL.com in which writers debated whether or not he is a lock for Canton, OH at this stage in his career. While you could argue that he hasn't played long enough for him to be a lock, you could use that same argument to prove why he should already be a lock.

Special teams play a huge role in the game, whether or not you would like to admit that, so why shouldn't one of the scariest return men in the history of the league be inducted in to the Hall just because he isn't on offense for every snap.

Cleveland's Josh Cribbs and Seattle's Leon Washington, both active, are ahead of Hester on the KR touchdown list with eight and seven respectively. But Hester already has one this season and is bound to pass at least one of them at some point in his career as he currently sits at five.

Once again, Cribbs (323 KR attempts) and Washington (203) have reached the end zone more often, but Hester has achieved nearly as much on less attempts (131) and even has a better return average than Washington.

Want some physical evidence? Here's one of Hester's many highlight reels found on youtube.com.

Photo credit

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Video credit goes to youtube.com

Year of the Quarterback: Rookie QBs

I think it's safe to say that so far 2011 has been the "Year of the Rookie."

There are numerous young players to step up and perform for his respective team in a time of need. Four quarterbacks were taken in the first round, all of which were taken within the first 12 picks of the draft. Of those four, three have started at least three starts through Week 10 of the season.

Cam Newton (Carolina), Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville) and Christian Ponder (Vikings) are current starters while Jake Locker (Tennessee) remains on the bench behind veteran Matt Hasselbeck.

Gabbert (1,025 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT, 63.6 QBR in eight starts) took over in Week 2 after veteran David Garrard was suddenly released and Week 1 starts, Luke McCown was benched due to poor performance. Gabbert, however, has yet to show me he deserves consideration for ROY, but he is still Jacksonville's quarterback of the future.

Ponder (744 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, 69.8 QBR in three starts) took over as the starter in Week 7 against the Packers, replacing veteran Donovan McNabb. His first career start was rather impressive considering the circumstances. He was thrown out there with little experience and threw for 219 yards and 2 TD passes, coming within six points of upsetting the still-undefeated, and defending champion, Green Bay Packers.

His numbers since then have been less than impressive, but his last start was against, yet again, the Packers. His 1-2 record is the result of playing the top team in the league twice. Carolina's Cam Newton–whom Ponder defeated on Oct. 30–is the lone quarterback who I have in the running for OROY.

Starter from the day he was drafted, Newton has had quite a few naysayers, and so far he has silenced every single one of them. The No. 1 overall pick by Carolina, Newton has led the Panthers to a 2-7 record, but that doesn't tell the entire story.

Carolina's defense has taken some hits early, losing center piece Jon Beason for the season very early. They have allowed the third-most points this season, behind only Indianapolis and Minnesota and have struggled against the run (1,238 yards, 12 TDs).

As for his supporting cast on offense, Newton's legs are the most dangerous on the field, not former Pro Bowlers DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. What was once the top rushing duo in the game just a few seasons ago is now almost a non-threat, combining for just three touchdowns on the year. Newton, however, is just two touchdowns shy of tying Michael Vick's record for most rushing TDs by a quarterback in a single-season (9).

His 374 yards on the ground is second-most on the team, putting up an average of 5.3 yards per carry. I do believe that it is actually the play-calling that has thrown off Carolina's rhythm. They are relying too heavily on the rookie signal-caller as he has attempted 30 or more passes in all but one game this season, and 40 or more in three different games. The one time he had under 30 pass attempts? A 33-20 victory over the Washington Redskins.

If he has any haters left after his first nine starts of the season, I would like to think that they at least understand that he is responsible for Carolina's two wins and cannot be solely to blame for the team's seven losses. Once Carolina has a healthy defense back, and they run the ball a little more often–taking pressure off Newton–the Panthers will at least be contenders in the South.

Newton is, by far, the best quarterback of this rookie class and could even be in consideration for Offensive Rookie of the Year. If not, then there's no doubt he's the most valuable asset on this team.

Photo credit

Ponder: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Newton: Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images

With Scaub out, is Houston's Season in Jeopardy?

More bad news coming from Houston this week. One-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub suffered a foot injury in Sunday's 37-9 beating of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was reported that yesterday he will be out "indefinitely." Which basically means he could be missing the rest of the season with a significant right foot injury.

According to an LA Times article posted last night, head coach Gary Kubiak stated he suffered the injury on a quarterback sneak late in the second quarter. He remained in the game, but only threw 15 total passes throughout the 60 minutes of game time.

Because of this, Houston's run game got quite a bit of looks. Three Texan running backs–starter Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Derrick Ward–each saw double-digit carries as Houston dominated the game clock. Each of the three backs got in to the end zone as well, and as a team they carried the ball 44 times for 185 yards.

With Schaub's (2,479 yards, 61%, 15 TD, 6 INT, 96.8 QBR this season) 2011 future uncertain, it looks as if Matt Leinart will return to starting quarterback role for at least the next several weeks.

Andre Johnson hasn't been on the field since suffering a significant injury against Pittsburgh in Week 4, and Houston's fifth-ranked defense has already taken a couple hits this season. All Pro DE/LB Mario Williams has been lost for the season, free safety Danieal Manning has been out of the lineup since the team's Oct. 23 matchup with Tennessee.

Veteran wideouts Derrick Mason and Kevin Walter will need to step up and lead this team if they want to stay atop the AFC South.

Luckily Indianapolis has lost Peyton Manning, or else Houston may not have a shot at the division title. But at 7-3, the Texans are in great position to snag a playoff spot by fending off the 5-4 Titans. Heading in to the bye this week, Houston has a manageable six-game schedule to finish off the regular season. Match-ups with Jacksonville (Week 12), Indianapolis (Week 16) and Tennessee (Week 17) gives Houston the chance to win out in the division, who are already 3-0 within the South.

If Matt Leinart can manage the game, hand the ball to Houston's three-headed monster at RB and limit turnovers, I really think the fourth-best scoring defense will finish the job for him. This could be Leinart's last shot at proving he belongs in the NFL as a starter. If he messes this one up, he'll be a backup for the rest of his career.

So to answer the question in the title of the article, I really do not think Houston's season is done. It's their division to lose at this point, and with a two-game lead over Tennessee and a semi-easy remaining schedule, I'd be shocked if Houston didn't make its first playoff appearance in franchise history.

Leinart has an extra week of preparation, and maybe by that time Andre Johnson will return to the field. One would hope, at least.

Photo credit

Ward: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Leinart (from preseason): Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

No. 2 in NFC: Saints or Niners?

With a victory over divisional rival Minnesota tonight, the Green Bay Packers would improve to 9-0 on the season and further itself from the rest of the NFC.

With a loss, the Packers would fall to 8-1 and still be considered the top team in not only the NFC, but the entire National Football League.

Sounds like a win-win situation for Most Valuable Player favorite Aaron Rodgers and his Packers.

But one of the things I've been trying to figure out for the past couple of weeks is who is the No. 2 team in the conference. 

San Francisco would have the same record (8-1) as the Packers should they lose tonight. Chicago and Detroit, both in Green Bay's division, currently stand at 6-3 after Chicago's 37-13 shellacking of Detroit yesterday afternoon. New Orleans (7-3) is riding a two-game win streak after victories over division counterparts Tampa Bay and Atlanta. And New York sits atop the NFC East, falling to 6-3 on the season with a 27-20 loss to San Fran yesterday.

We now have five candidates for the No. 2 spot after yesterday's slate of games, but I think we can eliminate two teams on the spot: New York and Detroit.

New York leads its division, but it's a rather weak division. The second-place Cowboys are 5-4, two games ahead of Philadelphia and Washington (both are 3-6). Eli Manning and his Giants captured a huge victory over Tom Brady and the Patriots two weeks ago, but fell to a key matchup with the Niners yesterday, therefore putting them behind the Niners in the Chase for No. 2, as I'm calling it.

As for the Lions, they split the season series with Chicago (W 24-13, L 37-13) but have dropped three of its last four games and, like New York, also fell to the mighty Niners earlier in the season. Matthew Stafford has outperformed Chicago's Jay Cutler by far but the Bears get the nod when it comes to supporting cast.

That leaves me with just three options for one slot: San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago.

San Francisco has the best record among the three, New Orleans is leading a tough division over Atlanta and Tampa, and Chicago is on a four-game winning streak.

San Francisco being in the weakest division in the league (second-place Seattle and Arizona are 3-6), but they have had just one game against a division opponent so far this season–a 33-17 victory over Seattle. With a 6-1 record against NFC teams, a fluke 27-24 loss to Dallas being the lone loss, Jim Harbaugh's squad has been resilient and Alex Smith is finally proving why he was the top pick in the 2005 NFL draft.

New Orleans is 7-3 overall and 3-1 against NFC South teams, but they are just 3-3 on the road. If they expect to make a Super Bowl run they will need to step up on the defensive side of the ball as well. San Fran is No. 1 in scoring defense and has allowed 20+ points just three times this season.

Overall, New Orleans and San Francisco are close in talent and production, but the 49ers get the edge. One of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season, Jim Harbaugh has proven that it sometimes pays large dividends to hire a top college coach. Only sometimes though, of course.

Photo credit

Rodgers: Denis Poroy/AP Photo

Willis: AP Photo

Week 10 Preview

Can you believe we've reached Week 10 of the regular season already? Time flies when you're having fun, right?

I may not get to update the blog too much before Sunday's games get underway, so I've decided to post my picks a little earlier than usual.

Thursday Nov. 10

Raiders 24, Chargers 17 (picked Chargers)

Sunday Nov. 13

Falcons over Saints

Atlanta is riding a three-game winning streak (4-1 over last five games), and is just a half game out of first behind New Orleans in the South.

Panthers over Titans

At 2-6 Carolina is at the bottom of the NFC South, but rookie Cam Newton has done all he can to help the Panthers win and I think it will be enough this week.

Steelers over Bengals

I think Pittsburgh's defense, age and all, will be too much for rookie signal caller Andy Dalton to handle.

Rams over Browns

Cleveland will be in some trouble without Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty on the field running the ball.

Bills over Cowboys

Big day running the ball for Fred Jackson, I'm predicting.

Jaguars over Colts

Poor Curtis Painter, and poor Indianapolis. I almost feel sorry for them.

Chiefs over Broncos

Denver is still trying to get the quarterback situation figured out for 2011 and beyond. Should be an interesting matchup in the West.

Skins over 'Phins

Here's John Beck's chance to show Miami what they missed out on...he still may be in for a rough day though.

Eagles over Cardinals

Homecoming game for Kevin Kolb (if he even gets to play). Whether it's Kolb or John Skelton under center, I don't think it's gonna make a huge difference for Arizona at this point.

Texans over Buccaneers

Houston's run game looks as strong as ever with the dynamic duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Look out, Tampa.

Ravens over Seahawks

Baltimore's defense shouldn't have any trouble containing Seattle passing attack with Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis lurking in the shadows.

Lions over Bears

Fresh off the bye week, Detroit should be rejuvenated and ready for a second half playoff push in the North.

Giants over Niners

This may be one of the best games of the weekend, and Eli Manning has been on fire this season. Even without Bradshaw, don't be surprised if he gets help from the running game (Brandon Jacobs).

Jets over Patrtiots

Believe it or not, Rex Ryan's Jets have the Pats' number and New England has already dropped two straight. Momentum has sided with the Jets on this one.

Monday Nov. 14

Packers over Vikings

Green Bay is still undefeated, and despite Minnesota coming within a touchdown of defeating Aaron Rodgers the first time around, I don't think this matchup will be all that close.

Bye weeks: none

Photo credit

Ryan: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Jacobs: Nick Laham/Getty Images

McFadden-less Raiders put it to Rivers and the Bolts on TNF

Just a mere two days after listing San Diego as a potential AFC contender, and division counterpart Oakland Raiders under the category of pretender, I am forced to eat my words.

I quote myself as saying (in the previously written article): still mourning the loss of owner Al Davis, not quite ready to take the next step with Carson Palmer under center.

Oops.

Not only did second-string running back Michael Bush step up and perform in place of the injured Darren McFadden, but Carson Palmer finally broke through with an outstanding performance in his third appearance in an Oakland uniform.

After being semi-retired for a portion of the season, the Raiders acquired the former Pro Bowl signal caller Palmer to fill the void Jason Campbell left after being placed on the injured reserve. Palmer's season-best 299 yards and two touchdown tosses–both to rookie wideout Denarius Moore–helped lead Oakland to a 24-17 victory.

Palmer turned the ball over twice, one interception and one lost fumble, but Bush bailed him out with a season-best 157 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Oakland's defense did its part as well, as former Cleveland Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley sacked San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers four times. As a unit, Oakland hit Rivers a total of six times with seven tackles for a loss, 10 put-downs and two turnovers.

Palmer's Raiders struggled on third downs (4/10), but dominated across the board in every other category. A few key mistakes here and there (seven penalties called against them), but Oakland's performance overall was great. Snapping a two-game losing skid, Oakland has evened its division record to 2-2 on the season.

All of a sudden Oakland has sole possession of first place in the AFC West, though it's only by a half game over Kansas City. With match-ups against the likes of Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit and one more showdown with San Diego in Week 17, it appears as though Palmer and the Raiders will have to keep up the pace to make a late playoff push.

Despite the rough play from Philip Rivers, you cannot count out the Chargers. You can't forget that the Chargers usually play its best ball in the final month of the season–December.

The West is far from won. Buckle up, it's about to get wild!

Photo credit

Bush: AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Separating the Pretenders from the Contenders

By the time Week 9 is in the books, we usually start to figure out which teams will be making strong runs down the stretch, and who will be sitting at home in January/February.

With eight games remaining for most of these teams (minus the few that have already had their bye week), this could all change, of course. But for the most part, it would surely be tough for teams such as Indianapolis, Carolina, St. Louis and Minnesota to turn their misfortunes around.

This past weekend has left us with skepticism concerning a few teams. Ahem, I'm talking to you, Pennsylvania teams! Others have continued to impress and have yet to skip a beat in 2011.

Contenders:

Green Bay Packers

Do I really need to expand on this? The only team still undefeated despite a 30th overall defense and a 22nd-ranked run game. Most Valuable Player favorite Aaron Rodgers continued his tear against San Diego, throwing for 247 yards and four touchdowns, including two TD tosses in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach of Philip Rivers. They could make a run for 16-0.

New York Giants

Eli Manning continues to pull through and show he belongs in the talks of "elite quarterbacks in the NFL" by defeating future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and his New England Patriots. His TD toss with :15 to play in regulation gave the G-Men the lead for good, and allowed Tom Coughlin's Giants to improve to 6-2, extending its NFC East lead.

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco showed up to play against Pittsburgh on Sunday night, and put together a 92-yard game-winning drive in which he threw a touchdown to rookie Torrey Smith with :08 to play. The drive put Flacco at 300 yards on the dot, and left him just three pass attempts shy of reaching 50 in one game for just the second time in his career. Flacco has finally stepped his game up and showed he has what it takes to put the team on his back and carry them, putting together two come-from-behind victories in back-to-back weeks.

San Francisco 49ers

You may argue that the Niners are in the weakest division in the league, and you would be correct in arguing that. But at 7-1, the Niners have done nothing but impress me, and only one of its eight games this season have been against a division opponent. A 4-0 road record is sure to impress even the strongest of critics, and Alex Smith is finally showing signs as to why he was picked first overall in the 2005 draft, putting up a 10/2 TD-to INT ratio with a 97.3 rating on the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

All the loss to Baltimore shows is that Pittsburgh is no longer 'top dawg' in the AFC North. That doesn't, however, rule out the fact that Pittsburgh are still contenders and could still capture the division title despite being swept by Baltimore. Once Dick LeBeau's defense gets veteran James Farrior and AFC sack leader LaMarr Woodley back in the lineup and healthy, the defense should start forcing more turnovers and giving Ben Roethlisberger better field position on scoring drives. Don't forget, Pittsburgh had a great offensive day against Baltimore's defense, but Flacco just straight-up outperformed him that same night.

Houston Texans

The emergence of Houston's fearful running game is likely the key to Houston's 6-3 record. Well, that and the fact that the rest of the AFC South's competition looks to be a bit weak this season. Without Andre Johnson for the past five games, Houston's offense has put up 20 or more points on the scoreboard four out of those five games. If anything, I think it's Mario Williams' injury that has had the most impact on this team. Regardless, Houston will be a dangerous team down the stretch this season.

Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford has emerged as a rising star, finally looking healthy this season. But it isn't Stafford, or even one of the game's best wideouts Calvin Johnson (11 Rec. TDs this season) who has stolen the show. Rather it's fiery (or whiny? you decide) head coach Jim Schwartz and second-year defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who has captured NFL headlines this fall with questionable play-style. Suh has already deemed the title as a dirty player by some of his peers and teams and fans alike have enjoyed rooting against the dirty defense. Either way, the 6-2 Lions will be in the middle of the wild card hunt. It's just too bad they have to share the same division as Green Bay.

Pretenders:

Buffalo Bills

Maybe it was just time for New York to breakout, or maybe Buffalo is just not ready to make a playoff run. I'm not sure which was the case this past weekend, but I don't think Buffalo's turnover tear will continue much longer (leads league with 20 forced turnovers). Fitzpatrick struggled to get anything going against the Jets all game, throwing two picks and was kept under 200 yards passing. The defense couldn't keep the Jet offense off the field and allowed the inconsistent Mark Sanchez to have a field day, completing 20 of 28 passes for 230 yards and a score. This doesn't quite look like a team ready to take the next step in to the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Cassel has a couple of solid targets on the offensive side of the ball–Pro Bowl wideout Dwayne Bowe and breakout rookie Jonathan Baldwin–but the loss of running back Jamaal Charles will eventually catch up with this young team. Last season they relied on him carrying the ball 230 times for well over 1,400 yards. He only produced five rushing TDs, but added three through the air. Cassel no longer has Charles coming out of the backfield, and Kansas City is in the bottom five in rushing TDs. Having a formidable rushing attack is crucial in a late-season playoff push.

Philadelphia Eagles

Normally, I would say with a team of this caliber there is no way they are ruled out. But after last night's crushing loss to Chicago, Philly fell to 3-5 and third place in the East. To get to 10 wins, which is a respectable win total for a wild card berth, Andy Reid's Eagles would have to go 7-1 in the second half of the season. Possible? Yes. Plausible? Not quite. Eli's G-Men look well on their way to a 12-win season and division title. As for the wild card, Philly is competing with teams such as Detroit (6-2), Chicago (5-3), Atlanta (5-3), Tampa Bay (4-4) and Dallas (4-4). It will be a tough second half for Michael Vick in the city of Brotherly Love.

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo has earned the title as a "choke artist" over the past few seasons in Dallas, and after falling to Philadelphia last week by the score of 34-7, I don't see this team going far in to December as a contender. Although the emergence of running back DeMarco Murray has been refreshing the last couple of weeks, the Cowboys will have a tough second half just like the Eagles. Dallas' last four games in order: New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and New York again. Good luck, Mr. Romo.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

At the beginning of the season I had Tampa Bay as one of my teams to beat down in the South, but since then the tides have turned. Rather than seeing a more matured Josh Freeman, he seems to be in the same, young form as last season, throwing 10 interceptions through Tampa Bay's first half of the season. Injuries have depleted the Bucs' rushing attack and age on the defensive side of the ball may have slowed them a bit. Either way, I still think the 48-3 defeat to the Niners is haunting the Bucs. If they didn't have to compete with the likes of New Orleans and Atlanta within their division, I probably wouldn't have listed them as a pretender.

Additional: 


TItans (4-4)--mediocrity from CJ2K has been slowing down Tennessee as of late.


Raiders (4-4)--still mourning the loss of owner Al Davis, not quite ready to take the next step with Carson Palmer under center.


Redskins (3-5)--there is still a huge quarterback concern in D.C.


Browns (3-5)--still love Colt McCoy, but Peyton Hillis has been a huge distraction.


Broncos (3-5)--To Tebow, or not to Tebow?

Still need to see more...

Cincinnati Bengals: Rookie Andy Dalton has really impressed me this season, and his 6-2 record has Cincy tied with Baltimore for the division lead. But I think we have to see how he fares against Baltimore and Pittsburgh before we fully judge his rookie campaign.

Chicago Bears: Chicago has some impressive victories over Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia on its resume, but there's still skepticism there with losses to New Orleans and two division foes Green Bay and Detroit.

Atlanta Falcons: How does Atlanta back up a 13-3 record and an early playoff exit in 2010? With a rocky 5-3 start, of course. A three-game win streak (Carolina, Detroit, Indianapolis) has me leaning towards contenders though.

New York Jets: If only Rex Ryan would learn to shut his damn mouth. New York sitting at 5-3 after eight games wouldn't be such a bad thing if the head coach would just stop all this "we're going to win the Super Bowl" talk. It gets old after you repeat it each season, Rex.

New England Patriots: Two straight losses from Bill Belichick's Patriots doesn't seem right. Against contenders such as Pittsburgh and New York (Giants) makes it seem a little more respectable, but it also appears as though defenses have finally figured out the perfect formula for disrupting Brady's rhythm. It only took three Super Bowl victories for it to be figured out..

San Diego Chargers: Rivers made a crucial mistake at the end of the overtime loss to Kansas City, and a tough game against defending champion Packers this past week has put them at 4-4. I don't think we'll figure the Chargers out until December rolls around, like usual.

The Rest...


Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6): Currently in the rebuilding process with rookie Blaine Gabbert doing the quarterbacking. I think Jack Del Rio's days may be numbered, it's time for a change.

Carolina Panthers (2-6): Rookie Cam Newton has done all he can to win games for Carolina, but the defense has taken too many hits to overcome in 2011. Newton has done nothing but impress, though, like I said.

Minnesota Vikings (2-6): Adrian Peterson has done nothing but produce top-notch quality for half a decade now.

Seattle Seahawks (2-6): Had an impressive 36-25 win over the Giants, but have since been on a three-game skid. Time to draft a franchise quarterback in April's draft?

Arizona Cardinals (2-6): Kevin Kolb, so far, has shown he was not worth the money. They actually beat St. Louis, 19-13, this past weekend without Kolb under center. Rather John Skelton subbed in and took over duties with Kolb out with an injury.

Hall of Shame

St. Louis Rams (1-7): St. Louis' lone win was apparently a fluke. A 31-21 victory over Drew Brees' Saints two weeks ago. Running back Steven Jackson had a solid game, but Sam Bradford has been battling injury and missed a few games. It may take a couple more seasons for Bradford to truly blossom as an NFL starter.

Miami Dolphins (1-7): Finally winless no more, Miami captured win No. 1 of the season on Sunday against Kansas City, 31-3. One of the reasons I have KC listed as a pretender.

Indianapolis Colts (0-9): This is why, aside from Rodgers, I wanna name Peyton Manning as my first half MVP. One player made a 9-win difference. If Manning was in the lineup you know for a fact they would have at least 7 or 8 wins at this point in the season. Come on, Curtis Painter!

Photo credit
Smith: Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Chiefs: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Ryan/Peppers: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Peterson: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Second half Underway: Week 9 Game Picks

I have yet to post my first half awards, but they will hopefully be up within the next day or so. Until then, enjoy me Week 9 preview and predictions. At the end I have added how I have fared with my game picks this season, including a week-to-week breakdown.

Sunday Nov. 6

Bills over Jets...I expect New York's struggles to continue against East rival Buffalo. Rex has yet to back up his big talk.

Cowboys over Seahawks...Tony Romo looks to bounce back from the embarrassment against Philly.

Texans over Browns...I'm already starting to question why I thought Cleveland had found their franchise quarterback in Colt McCoy.

Falcons over Colts...Indy's woes will continue against Atlanta, keeping them in perfect position for the first pick in 2012's draft.

Chiefs over Dolphins...the 'Fins are still alive and well in the race for the No. 1 picks, as well.

Bucs over Saints...if we learned anything last week, it's that New Orleans has weaknesses and are more than beatable if they are exposed.

Niners over Skins...Washington's great start has already been replaced by mediocre quarterback play. Harbaugh's Niners continue to storm through its schedule.

Raiders over Broncos...another off-day for Tebow in the making against Rolando McClain, Richard Seymour and the Raiders?

Bengals over Titans...Rookie Andy Dalton and his Cincy squad have quietly put up quite the fight in the North, and should improve on that record against Hasselbeck's Titans.

Rams over Cardinals...coming off a disgusting second half performance against Baltimore, the Cards will have to stop a hot Steven Jackson and St. Louis offense.

Patriots over Giants...being without Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks will be too much for Eli Manning's Giants against New England.

Packers over Chargers...Aaron Rodgers' MVP season likely wont sputter in San Diego one bit.

Ravens over Steelers...Baltimore's defense has been on a tear, and Pittsburgh will likely be without its three star LBs (Harrison, Woodley and Farrior). Too much to overcome against this Baltimore team, I believe.

Monday Nov. 7

Eagles over Bears...both teams have struggled to perform on a consistent basis, week-in and week-out. But if Cutler can limit the mistakes and use Matt Forte properly they can expose Philly's D.

Bye weeks: Panthers, Lions, Jaguars, Falcons

My 2011 Picks

Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 8-5

Week 6: 7-6

Week 7: 8-5

Week 8: 9-4

Total for season: 75-41

Photo credit

Bush: AP Photo

Suggs: AP Photo

Tomlinson On the Verge of History

It has come to my attention that in the coming weeks we could see New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The 32-year back, who made a name for himself as an All Pro with the San Diego Chargers from 2001-2009, could find himself crack the top five in career rushing yards as early as tomorrow.

Currently sitting at 13,515 career rushing yards in his 11-year career, L.T. is now just 148 yards shy of passing former St. Louis Ram and Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis for fifth in the league's history.

Tomlinson has carried the ball just 34 times for 111 yards in seven games (just one start) behind Shonn Greene this season, meaning it is unlikely he will surpass "The Bus" in tomorrow's game against the Buffalo Bills.

But either way it's highly possible we could see him accomplish the feat against New England (Nov. 13), Denver (Nov. 17) or Buffalo (Nov. 27).

It's obvious that Tomlinson has already earned his spot in the Hall of Fame, and he still may play another season or two once 2011 wraps up. By the time the end of his career rolls around, Tomlinson may even find himself at No. 4 on the all-time list as he is just 586 yards shy of Curtis Martin's 14,101 rushing yards.

Sitting at No. 2 on the all-time rushing TDs list (144) behind Emmitt Smith's 164, Tomlinson will go down as one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL's long history. Joining such names as Smith, Bettis, Martin, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Jim Brown, John Riggins, Franco Harris, Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell.

Among the five ahead of him on the list, none of them (Smith, Payton, Sanders, Martin, Bettis) ever put up a 100+ reception, 700+ receiving yards, 4 TD season, which Tomlinson accomplished in 2003. One more sidenote, that same season ('03), L.T. rushed for 1,645 yards and 13 TDs at age 24 and did not make the Pro Bowl roster.

His accomplishments that season were overshadowed by Jamal Lewis' 2,000 yard season and Ahman Green's 1,800 yard, 14 TD season.

The fact Tomlinson was very successful coming out of the backfield as a receiver (602 receptions, 4,583 yards, 16 TDs) leads me to believe he may be the best dual-threat running back to ever play the game. His reception total is 17th among active players, not just RBs.

The one thing L.T. had going against him is he seemed to struggle in the postseason, rushing for 100 yards just once in 10 career playoff games (team has gone 5-5 in those games). He did manage to find the end zone on seven different occasions in those games, but averaged just 3.5 yards per carry throughout.

He still holds the record for most rushing TDs in a single-season, 28 in '06, and it's clear that his #21 jersey will be retired by the Chargers one day. Personally I'd love to see him put up one more respectable season with New York and then sign a one-day contract with San Diego before retiring a Charger.

He's a legend in Sunny San Diego.

Note: photo found and borrowed from draftdaysuit.com, no copyright infringement intended

Detroit: The NFL's new 'Bad Boyz?'

In just a couple of months, the Detroit Lions have gone from cellar-dweller in the NFC North to possible playoff contenders.

Not only that, but head coach Jim Schwartz and second-year, reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh are already on their way to creating Detroit a new persona.

Just three seasons removed from going 0-16, the hiring of coach Schwartz has gradually improved the state of the Detroit franchise. In his first two seasons at the helm, Schwartz's record was 8-24. Believe it or not, that was huge improvement for a team that hasn't been to the postseason since its 8-8 season in 1999.

Those eight victories from 2009-2010 were just two shy of the 10 wins the Lions captured in the previous three seasons under Rod Marinelli (3-13 in '06, 7-9 in '07 and 0-16 in '08).

So far this season? Well, the ever-so-developing third-year quarterback Matthew Stafford has his Lions at 6-2–one and a half games behind NFC North's leading Green Bay Packers (7-0). Stafford seems to have fully recovered from the shoulder injury suffered last season, forcing him to sit out most of the season and start just three games.

It's taken him a while to develop in to the NFL starter he is today, but with a guy like Calvin Johnson, the NFL's leading receiver with 11 TDs in eight games this season, to his disposal Stafford could be in for a huge second half.

But, here's where the "Bad Boyz" reputation comes in.

After going to the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season, with 10.5 sacks at defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh is now known as one of the NFL's tough guys.

The lovable losers from the past decade have quickly turned in to the team that everybody loves to hate this season. How so quick? Well perhaps it's due to the cockiness of Suh, who has racked up $42,500 in fines in just 24 starts over his first season and a half of professional play. Such penalties as roughing the passer (once), unnecessary roughness (twice), facemask (once) and a horse-collar tackle were all called against him in just his rookie season.

In a preseason matchup with Cleveland last season, Suh was seen lifting up Browns' veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme and slamming him in to the turf. Later in the week, of course, a fine came Suh's way.

Suh has even gone as far as saying "I'm not going to change the way I play. I feel that the way I'm playing and the way that I've played in the past is continuing to play within the rules." (quote courtesy of ESPN.com).

This quote came after meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell on his style of play, which is, of course, agressive. Sometimes even over-aggressive. But, you heard the man. He's not going to change his ways, meaning more fines may be coming his way in the future.

---

Coach Schwartz and Suh's fellow defensive lineman Cliff Avril can both add their name to the list of hated Detroit Lions after separate incidents this season.

Schwartz, after Detroit suffered its first loss of the season to Jim Harbaugh's 6-1 San Francisco 49ers, nearly went at it with Harbaugh after he felt Harbaugh was being a "sore winner" during the postgame handshake in the middle of the field.

Words were exchanged and a livid Schwartz was caught on film attempting to chase Harbaugh down, pushing and shoving ensued, but nothing else. In the end, Schwartz appeared as a "sore loser," and possibly even a whining baby.

Avril's "incident" was more entertaining and playful (to me, at least) than anything else. During Detroit's shellacking of Tim Tebow's Broncos last weekend, Avril, after sacking Tebow twice throughout the game ended up "Tebowing" overtop of Tebow himself. Many fans were distraught and got their pannies in a bunch, although I would like to believe that Avril was having fun with it, rather than malicious taunting of the quarterback.

For those who are not aware, Tebowing is a new internet "craze" similar to that of planking in which a person kneels down on one knee and puts their head down–mimicking that of Tebow, which he does when praying before/after games.

The idea of Tebowing seems rather offensive to me, but I do believe Avril was just having fun with it. He didn't start the craze, but he is surely hated in Denver after pulling that fast one.

Whether or not you believe in my theory of Detroit being a team fans have loved to hate so far this season, it's surely true that Detroit has been in the limelight far more often this season than they have in the past seasons.

Look, they have a bye week this weekend and they still manage to make it on my blog page. That's gotta tell you something, right?

Photo credit
Schwartz: Leon Halip/Getty Images
Avril: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Q&A Session with Baltimore's Assistant O-Line Coach Todd Washington

Earlier today I got the chance to talk with former professional lineman Todd Washington. Washington was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech before being selected in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The First Team All-Big East standout played eight NFL seasons with the Bucs (98-02) and Houston Texans (03-05) before he was forced to retire early due to injury.

The 35-year old is now the Assistant Offensive Line coach with the Baltimore Ravens after OL and Offensive coordinator stints with the University of San Diego and the UFL's Hartford Colonials.

Washington was nice of enough to answer a few of my questions on SOTL (a new interactive website featuring current and former NFL players and fans), his playing career, coaching career and even former teammates.

 

 

Ben Heck, A-OB: First off, the creation of schoolofthelegends.com has added a whole new way of players interacting with current and former teammates, opponents and even fans of the National Football League. Has it had a huge impact on your personal life and how you go about your daily life? And if so, how much?

Todd Washington, BAL Asst. OL Coach: In my world, the schoolofthelegends.com has definitely impacted both my personal and professional life in a great way. This actually gives fans a way to communicate with their favorite players, active or retired. They get to have an understanding of what we actually go through just to get to game day. They can ask us questions and they will get answers from the ACTUAL person. Not their assistant. This platform is the beginning of something wonderful and I'm glad that I am a part of it.


BH: You had great success in college as a four-year starter at center and guard for the Virginia Tech Hokies. What would you say your most memorable moment/accomplishment was at the college level?

TW: There has been a great deal of memorable moments for me at Virginia Tech. I came from a very small high school. (Nandua High School. Onley, VA) Being recruited by Virginia Tech and other big schools was a big deal for my hometown. One moment I think about the most is my sophomore year, we started the season 0 and 2. We ran the table and went 9 and 2. We met Texas in the 1995 Sugar Bowl and won 28 to 10. The ultimate moment was when I walked across the podium and was handed my degree in education. That is something no one can take away from me.


BH: It had to of been tough waiting four rounds in the NFL draft for your name to be called. What was that feeling like once you did hear your name announced in the 1998 draft?

TW: I pretty much knew that I was going to be a second day draft choice. A lot of offensive linemen before me were drafted earlier than projected so I knew it was a matter of time. I was watching the draft and saw that Carolina was on the clock. At that time, the phone rang and it was Tony Dungy (then the coach of the Buccaneers). We talked for some time, and he told me that they traded up and drafted me. I was overcome with so much emotion, that time stood still for a minute. You think about all the work you put in just to get to this point. A franchise saw enough me in to bring me in and play for them. Its a honor and a privilege that I'm very blessed and thankful to have had.


BH: Do you still keep in touch with some of your old teammates from Tampa Bay or Houston?

TW: I do. I am really great friends with Ronde Barber and his family. He's like a brother to me. We knew each other before we played against each other in college. My father taught his mom. I went to Randall McDaniel's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We email from time to time. Me and Raheem Morris will exchange texts as well. I stay in touch with Mark Bruener. He is now a scout for the Steelers. As for coaches, I stay in touch with Mike Tomlin, Kirby Wilson (Steelers), Joe Marciano (Texans) , and many others. I try to keep my network big and very active.


BH: You've worked a couple of different gigs in college (Univ. of SD offensive line/OC) and the UFL (Hartford Colonials OL coach) before landing your current professional coaching job. What's the biggest difference between working in the NFL and working at a lower level such as college or the UFL?

TW: Yes, I've worked different gigs and been all over. I realized that no matter where you are, coaching is coaching. Football is football. The players you work with all love this game. The caliber of they player may change but that's the joy of it for me. Working at USD was great for me. The players were very eager to learn and worked very hard. Working there made me a better teacher of the game. I firmly believe that coaching is one thing, be being able to teach football to players, you will see them grow and mature faster in front of your eyes.

The UFL was a lot of fun. I coached players that have played in the NFL that wanted to get back in, or players that didn't get drafted and need playing experience. Again, being able to teach the game is important. At that time, we had the #1 Offense and Rushing attack. The UFL has been ridiculed, but the level of play is better that what people my believe. They get after it. Its a very competitive league. I hope that it finds a way to keep going.


BH: As Baltimore's offensive line coach this season, what would you say your No. 1 priority is: protecting Joe Flacco and giving him time in the pocket, or opening up running lanes for running back Ray Rice?

TW: Wow, putting me on the spot (haha). Well, me being a former offensive lineman, my philosophy is pretty straight forward. You throw the ball to score. You run the ball to win. You have to have balance in these two areas to be successful. The teams that win in this league does both really well.

BH: Guard Ben Grubbs has been out of action since Week 1, do you have any idea when he will be back to full health?

TW: Unfortunately, I am not allowed to discuss any injuries that our players have. Ben has been working his tail off. He wants to get back out there, he's a true competitor.

BH: Who is the current offensive lineman in the league that you most admire, whether it be for his on-field ability or his work ethic, or something else about the way he approaches the game (doesn't have to be a Raven)?

TW: There are a couple of linemen that I admire and really enjoy watching them play. And yes, they happen to be Ravens. The first one is Bryant McKinnie, our left tackle. "B Mac" came to us late into training camp after the Vikings released him. SInce he's been here, he has lost a ton of weight and is playing with great confidence. He wants to be the best and he is starting to show the level of play that got him into the Pro Bowl.

The next one is Michael Oher. Mike has been the left tackle for the Ravens. We all know about the movie so I don't need to talk about it. However, Mike was just getting comfortable with the position when we signed McKinnie. Without hesitation, Mike made the switch to right tackle. You really don't see that anymore. It is very rare. When you have players like Mike that makes decisions like that, the sky's the limit for the team.

Also, Andre Gurode. He's a center that was released by the Cowboys. He has come in and played left guard, replacing the injured Ben Grubbs.

I could go on and on, but these three guys have showed what it takes to be a true team player. We wouldn't be where we are right now without them.

BH: Do you have any other last comments for any kids/athletes aspiring to make it to the professional level as either a player and/or coach?

TW: If you have the dream to make it in the NFL as a player or a coach, then do all you can to achieve it. The path to the league is not an easy one. It is designed like that for a reason. Keep working on your craft. Make sure you stay in close contact with people that are in position to help further your career. You will have times of heartbreak and disappointment. You may have to take a step back to go forward. You may even have people that you rely on turn you down. Don't let that stop you. The league needs new faces. New blood that are hungry and are willing to do what it takes to win. It took me a while, but I made it.


I look back at my journey from the internships at East Texas Baptist to being the Offensive Line Asst with the Ravens and I am truly thankful for everyone that has helped me along the way. This is just the beginning for me.


BH: Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Washington.


Look out for more interviews of former or current players coming in the near future..


Note: Image found on/borrowed from the Baltimore Ravens' website. I do not own it, nor am I attempting to take credit for the photo.

Power Rankings: Top 10 Teams Heading in to Week 9

I have yet to post power rankings, so I thought the day after the completion of Week 8 would be a great time to start.

The No. 1 team is a no-brainer, but the rest of the top 10 is a little foggy as of the first of November..

Just missed: Bengals 5-2, Chicago Bears 4-3, New York Jets 4-3

10. New York Giants 5-2

Eli Manning and the Giants have been relatively quiet in the NFC East, though they currently hold a two-game lead over Philadelphia and Washington. The G-Men failed to make headlines over the off-season, as Philly received much of the media attention with the free agency frenzy, and all. But I think this may have worked to their advantage.

Head coach Tom Coughlin and his crew have quietly produced a 5-2 record with key wins over Philly and Buffalo. The strength of schedule isn't exactly the strongest, and they have fallen to Washington (28-14) and Seattle (36-25), but you can't blame the Giants for having a couple of weaker opponents. Manning has put up solid numbers (64.7%, 2,127 yards, 13 TD, 5 INT, 102.1 QB Rating), and done enough to just barely crack the Top 10 after eight weeks.

9. Houston Texans 5-3

To me, I think this season has really shown me that Houston has some fight in them. Despite some health issues–Andre Johnson has missed four games, Mario Williams is out for the season and Arian Foster has yet to fully recovery from a lagging hamstring injury–the Texans remain in games.

At 5-3, they are in the drivers seat down South. The Peyton Manning injury may have benefited them most, and Matt Schaub has been doing all he can with what is given to him. Two losses by a touchdown or less (New Orleans and Oakland), a 15-point loss to the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens and two blowout victories (34-7 vs. Indy, 41-7 vs. TEN) puts up quite an impressive resume. Clearly, when they do lose it's not by much, and they also have the ability to put points up on the board. Once Johnson returns to the lineup they will be a scary offense once again.

8. New Orleans Saints 5-3

New Orleans was shocked this past weekend. Not only were the Saints, but the entire Nation seemed to be rattled by the New Orleans loss. To the winless Rams? Really, Drew Brees? New Orleans marched in to St. Louis expecting a blowout, but the Rams made sure they didn't leave until they were embarrassed in all aspects of the game (except passing, of course).

Brees threw two critical interceptions, one returned 27 yards for a touchdown, and Rams' RB Steven Jackson ran over NO's defense for 159 yards and two TDs in the 10-point victory. Brees' off-day dropped the Saints to 5-3 on the year, and instead of extending a division lead over Tampa (4-3) and Atlanta (4-3), they are now struggling to stay a top the standings.

7. New England Patriots 5-2

Tom Brady is still Tom Brady, and will find a way to put points on the board. But after Sunday the Pats have taken a couple of steps back. Obviously Pittsburgh is a tough opponent, especially at Heinz Field, but this was supposed to be the game that proved the Patriots were still the team to beat in the AFC. The loss shows me that we may finally be seeing a changing of the guards in the East.

Buffalo beat them earlier in the season after executing an improbable comeback to take the victory by three points, and I think people may be starting to get more excited to see the underdog Fitzpatrick throw a strike to Steve Johnson than Brady to Wes Welker. They are at No. 7 this week simply because I think Buffalo has stolen the spotlight in the East this season, and currently sit at No. 1 in the division.

6. Buffalo Bills 5-2

Buffalo is one of several surprisers this season. Fresh off locking up Ryan Fitzpatrick for an additional six years, the Bills took care of the up-and-down Redskins with a 23-0 shutout this past weekend. The victory put them at 5-2 and atop the AFC East due to the head-to-head tiebreaker with New England.

Buffalo is one of six teams in the league that has put up over 200 points on the year, scoring nine more than the Pats in seven games. Fred Jackson's 5.5 yards per carry has elevated Buffalo's game to the next level. He seems to be the first constant running back the Bills have had since losing Willis McGahee following the 2006 season.

5. Baltimore Ravens 5-2

Baltimore's defense is what has kept them in games. Joe Flacco has shown some weakness and Cam Cameron, in some games, has failed to properly use Ray Rice. Rice was handed the ball just eight times last week against Jacksonville in the team's 12-7 loss. The offense failed to produce a first down until midway through the third quarter.

If it wasn't for that porous performance, and their slow-starting first half Sunday against Arizona, Baltimore would be ahead of Pittsburgh right now. But, Pittsburgh owns the momentum heading in to its match-up with Baltimore this week despite the 35-7 Week 1 loss. We will truly find out who owns the AFC North after Sunday night.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2

Pittsburgh's offensive line finally stepped its game up against New England on Sunday, providing ample time for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to hit his targets in stride, picking apart NE's secondary en route to a 365-yard, 2 TD day.

The defense proved they had the secret ingredient to stopping Tom Brady in his tracks. Something just one other team has accomplished this season (Buffalo). They are still last in the league in forced turnovers, with three, which is still shocking to most, but they have still found ways to get the job done.

3. Detroit Lions 6-2

Jim Schwartz's Lions dropped two in a row to San Fran and the Atlanta Falcons, but after this past weekend's shellacking of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos (45-10), I think it's safe to say that Matthew Stafford is back to full health.

Detroit is undefeated on the road and has scored the second-most points in the league, behind only New Orleans, with 239. Yes, this means they have scored more than division counterpart Green Bay, although that stat is a little skewed considering Detroit has played on more game than Rodgers and the Pack this season. Either way, Detroit has certainly put a great amount of points up on the board this season and will continue to do so as long as Stafford has Calvin "Megatron" Johnson and Titus Young to dispose the ball to.

2. San Francisco 49ers 6-1

Say what you want about the "weak schedule" the Niners have dealt with so far–although I will admit victories over such teams as Seattle and Cleveland isn't exactly eye-popping–San Francisco has lifted eyebrows this season.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been impressive in his first season at the helm as his Patrick Willis-led defense has allowed just 107 points (leads all defenses) and lost just one game–a 27-24 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 2. Harbaugh's fiery passion, which came out after his 25-19 victory over the 6-2 Detroit Lions, has been the Niners' fuel this season.

1. Green Bay Packers 7-0

Like I said–no brainer. Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers has picked up right where he left off in February. His 20 TD passes lead the league, and he's thrown just three interceptions. Rodgers is also first in QB rating (125.7), yards per pass (9.9) and third in yards (2,372).

Green Bay's defense has only held its opposition to under 20 points twice (Chicago 17, St. Louis 3), but with the offense putting up as much points as they do–33 per game on average–the defense can let up as many points as they so desire. With Rodgers on the field, Green Bay is the most dangerous team in the league, by far.

Photo credit

Vilma: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Rice: Larry French/Getty Images

Harbaugh/Davis: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images