Kudos to the Rams for continuing to play hard. After a huge Week 17, it will be more tempting to select Steven Jackson early in 2009, but I'd avoid him if it takes a top-10 pick…Surprising to see Jerious Norwood caught from behind. He's definitely one of the fastest players in the league…I can't remember a year with more worthy candidates for Coach of the Year. Mike Smith is on that list…Over the last four games, Matt Ryan has posted a 3:5 TD:INT ratio. That still came with a strong 8.1 YPA, but he's fading just a bit. His YPA dropped from 9.3 at home to 6.8 on the road this year, so Atlanta beating Arizona this week is far from a sure thing…Michael Turner is one of my favorite running backs in the league, but any prospective 2009 fantasy owners better hope for an early playoff exit. He's fast approaching 400 carries, making him a big risk next season.
That wind was insane in the Pats/Bills game. Stephen Gostkowski's miss should not count against him. More than rain, sleet and snow, wind affects a football game the most…New England can't complain too much about missing the playoffs despite an 11-5 record since they lost to the Chargers 30-10 this year, but this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl if given the chance…Fred Jackson continues to impress. His 136-yard (5.0 YPC) rushing effort was even more notable when you consider New England was gearing up to stop the run in those conditions.
Quietly, the Bengals played fantastic defense over the last three weeks of the year…How about Cedric Benson? Unbelievable…Do yourself a favor. Avoid the Larry Johnson headache next year…Tyler Thigpen is fun to watch, but a 6.2 YPA mark strongly suggests Kansas City needs to continue its search for the quarterback of the future.
I'd be shocked if Calvin Johnson isn't a top-15 pick next year. If only Detroit could find a QB who even approaches mediocrity…Actually, Kevin Smith won't be drafted too far after Johnson, as he really showed something over the second half of the year…The Lions recorded one interception by their secondary all season long. That isn't very good…Mason Crosby has quite the leg.
Matt Forte wore down toward the end of the year, averaging just 3.3 YPC in December, but it's rare for a rookie to show so much ability as a three-down back. Now, if only Chicago could find a quarterback…I'll have a hard time deciding who to rank higher in 2009 – Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson?...Hopefully all those missed games knocks Matt Schaub down fantasy lists next year. I can't kick the habit with him…The Texans won a challenge for the first time all season in Week 17.
Do you realize the Colts' six passing TDs allowed this season are the fewest in NFL history? That's impressive…Vince Young did not look very good during his action last week. His future is a big question mark.
Eli Manning hasn't thrown for 200 yards in any of his last four games. He also has just two touchdowns over that span. He has been known to step it up during the postseason, but Manning is really missing weapons on offense…Adrian Peterson's fumbling problem has become an epidemic. He better avoid it this weekend, as I actually think Minny has a better chance at beating the Eagles than most do…Tarvaris Jackson's interception at the goal line was brutal, but he's gotten 8.3 YPA with an 8:1 TD:INT ratio over four games since returning. It's come against easy competition, and Jim Johnson may very well make him look silly this week, but those are some impressive numbers.
What a game that Panthers/Saints matchup was. Steve Smith is unreal. DeAngelo Williams is out of control. And there was even a D.J. Hackett sighting…Did Lance Moore really finish the season with double-digit touchdowns?...Drew Brees had the 16 yards needed to break Dan Marino's record on his last throw of the game; he just missed a wide open target. And maybe Carolina wanted to see him break the mark. That's the only explanation for calling a timeout with a full 7 seconds left before the game-winning kick.
Bruce Gradkowski got 1.1 YPA on Sunday. Wow…I won't kill Mike Tomlin for having Ben Roethlisberger in when he got hurt (Eli Manning was playing during the exact same situation in Minnesota at the same time), but that would have been devastating. The bye is huge, but don't underestimate the effects of yet another concussion suffered by Roethlisberger…Toward the end of the first half, the Steelers made a big mistake by spiking the ball inside the 10-yard line with 45 seconds left after getting a first down. Teams make this blunder all the time (Oakland did the exact same thing last week). So after a quick incomplete pass, Pittsburgh only had 40 seconds for their third down play. Just 40! Better hurry it up and avoid the 38 step drop. Horrible clock management (although they did score a TD nevertheless)…That wasn't even my favorite horrible coaching decision of the game, however, as Cleveland won the coin toss – and deferred to kick. Normally, I'm all for this, but in a game when the Steelers' starters are only slated to play a half at most, wouldn't it make more sense to give them the ball when their backups are in? This isn't brain surgery. Adios, Romeo Crennel.
What a tough break for Carnell Williams. Just brutal to even watch…Not sure what happened to Tampa Bay, but I for one will not be missing them in the playoffs…Call me crazy, but maybe Michael Bush shouldn't move to fullback. What a performance. Justin Fargas runs hard, but he's the team's third best option at running back. Hopefully a new regime understands that…Don't look now, but JaMarcus Russell got 7.5 YPA over the second half of the season, including multiple TD passes in each of his final three contests. There might be hope after all. Now, go get him some receivers.
Jacksonville has a lot of work to do this offseason, starting with better decision making from the front office. I won't stand for the talented Maurice Jones-Drew being stuck in mediocrity…I wouldn't be too surprised if Baltimore made a deep playoff run. Then again, little would surprise me this postseason.
Miami ended the season with the fewest amount of turnovers (13) in the history of the NFL…Whomever the Jets hire, he better understand how to properly utilize Leon Washington….A couple of those Brett Favre interceptions were just plain unconscionable. In a season that looked so promising after Week 12 (8-3 and just beat the Titans 34-13), the Jets could not have finished worse. Favre may very well have ended his career with an NFL-high 22 interceptions and a 2:9 TD:INT ratio over his last five games. And he made the Pro Bowl over Philip Rivers!
What a fitting end to the Cowboys' season. The good Tony Romo is one of the best players in the league, but all those turnovers knock him down quite a few pegs. No way Peyton Manning blindly ignores oncoming rushers like that. He really needs to put ball security at the top of his list of things he needs to improve this offseason…It's hilarious that Dallas is keeping Coach Cupcake. Things are going to get worse before they get better in Big D…Maybe it's just the "Hard Knocks" jinx, as none of the four teams that have been featured on HBO's preseason series have made the playoffs that year…Philadelphia's defense is legit, and the team has serious potential to go deep into the playoffs. However, Donovan McNabb has gotten just 6.4 YPA with an 8:8 TD:INT ratio on the road this year (he has a 15:3 TD:INT ratio at home), so he'll need to play better away from home in order for it to happen.
Maybe paying Julius Jones starter's money was a mistake, after all…Edgerrin James made Tim Hightower look even worse last week. What a huge disappointment the rookie has been. Arizona still needs to address the running back position during the offseason.
If the 49ers wouldn't have absolutely blown Week 10's end-game situation, they'd have finished with the same record as the division winning Cardinals. Now that is crazy…I wouldn't touch Clinton Portis with a 10 foot pole in fantasy leagues next year. He averaged 2.9 YPC over his last five games, failing to record one single run for more than 15 yards…Still not sure what Mike Martz did wrong…Player A (who made the Pro Bowl): 1,705 yards, 4.3 YPC, nine TDs. Player B (who did not make the Pro Bowl): 1,636 yards, 5.5 YPC, 20 TDs. Maybe voting should be done just a little later in the season.
To me, the best thing about LaDainian Tomlinson's big Week 17 is the increased likelihood of others reaching for him in next year's drafts. Actually, his final numbers were rock solid in 2008 – but all signs point to future decline. It's tough being successful with a 3.8 YPC mark. I say Darren Sproles is a bigger factor Saturday against the Colts, which is easily the game of the week…Let me personally thank Brandon Marshall for tripping over his own feet last Sunday, ruining a would be 40-yard touchdown and losing my Randy Moss bet in the process. I would blame his hand being numb all year long, but since Moss lost Tom Brady 10 minutes into the year, the fact it was even close means I deserved to lose…Mike Shanahan has made plenty of poor personnel decisions, so his firing makes more sense if he refused to relinquish that responsibility, which is likely. Still, there's little doubt the Broncos have significantly downgraded at head coach with the move. With perhaps the worst running back corps in the NFL, the Broncos still finished the year with the second highest YPC mark in the league (4.8) – the same as the Panthers! Moreover, the passing attack has about as much upside as any in the league as well. The man knows how to build an offense. It was the one true shocking firing, and the team will suffer as a result.
Top-5 Under The Radar Songs By Bands Otherwise Famous
1. "The Hexx" by Pavement
2. "Lurgee" by Radiohead
3. "No Leaf Clover" by Metallica
4. "Thirty Three" by Smashing Pumpkins
5. "Dissident" by Pearl Jam