Three overtime finishes in the early games. A whole lot of comebacks and near-comebacks. The insane debacle that was the Patriots-Ravens game looked like it was going to be the biggest bucket of crazy and absolutely ridiculous we would see.
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| via Fake ESPN |
Complete insanity.
This should be a fun week to talk about.
Before I get to the post though, I have a question for anyone who reads my blog. I believe that referees should be held as accountable to the media as players are, meaning referees should have to do postgame interviews if it is requested by journalists covering the game. I have felt that way ever since U.S. soccer was screwed during the World Cup. MLB umpire Jim Joyce owned up to his bad call a couple seasons ago when he cost a pitcher a perfect game.
My (hugely hypothetical) question: If the policy was in effect, should these replacement referees be held accountable to the media so they can explain their decisions, even though they are not the actual employed officials? Just wondering.
Anyway, my thoughts on each game after the jump.
GIANTS 36 - Panthers 7
- Ahmad Bradshaw is hurt, Hakeem Nicks is hurt, and the Giants are fine. Andre Brown and Ramses Barden step in and have breakout performances. So this team has depth. The defense came away with five takeaways, though I'm not sure if that shows the strength of the Giants defense or the incompetence of the Panthers.
- Cam Newton showed his immaturity. I don't mean during his post-game press conference, because I actually found that kind of refreshing. No pointing the finger. No excuses. Just saying the product on the field was not where it needed to be. No, when I say Cam showed his immaturity, I mean the fact that he is only in his second year as a pro and, therefore, still can have three-interception games on primetime football.
BEARS 23 - Rams 6
- The good news for "Daaa Bears," after their embarrassing loss to Green Bay last Thursday, was that St. Louis came next on the schedule. Cutler was only sacked twice this week, so no tantrums were thrown, although he did throw an interception and couldn't earn more than 200 yards in the air. Can't blame the O-line this week, Jay. Feel free to thank the defense that covered for your ass, though.
BILLS 24 - Browns 14
- C.J. Spiller got hurt, but third-string running back Tashard Choice came in and still managed to rush for 91 yards. Does Buffalo have a farm or factory that just spits out good running backs? Luckily for Buffalo fans, Fred Jackson should be back soon.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Browns, which has to lead Eagles fans to question their quarterback since he threw FOUR interceptions and the Harvard boy throws none.
COWBOYS 16 - Buccaneers 10
- See, I told you Cowboys fans. Seattle must be your kryptonite. Your offense did not have a great game this week and you still came away with the win. Now you just need to work on things like, oh, keeping Tony Romo upright, not having three takeaways and scoring touchdowns after the first quarter. Especially that last one, because both teams hit nothing but field goals after they tied 7-7, so this must have been a rather boring game to watch.
- On a side note, Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano is a piece of shit. Sorry if you're not used to language in my blog, but he is a piece of shit. Going after the Giants when they were kneeling last week? Bush league. Doing it again the next week? Bush league, but at least consistent. Calling a timeout so you can rush the kneeling team again? Dick move. If you're still not convinced, here's a story about how Schiano was a dick to NFL scouts while he was head coach at Rutgers University.
JETS 23 - Dolphins 20 (OT)
- Overtime game No. 1 of 3: The way this one went down was the Dolphins hit a game-tying field goal with 16 seconds left in regulation. The Dolphins then missed a potential game-winning field goal. The Jets drove down the field to kick a field goal, but that was blocked by the Dolphins. That blocked field goal never officially happened, however, because head coach Joe Philbin called a timeout to ice the kicker. After the timeout, the Jets hit a field goal to win the game, which is why COACHES SHOULD STOP DOING THIS STUPID "ICE THE KICKER" THING!
- *gets on soapbox* For every highlight I see where the kicker misses the field goal after the opposing team called timeout (extremely rare occurrence from my point of view, by the way), I see five or six times where the kicker misses the first field goal or it gets blocked, but they get a second chance and make it. All you do when "icing the kicker" is give them a practice field goal. Why would you give the other team more chances? If you really think "icing the kicker works," then call the timeout before they snap the ball. That way, the kicker has more time to think about the kick, but he doesn't get the practice kick. *gets off soapbox*
- Also, this happened, and I found it hilarious:
VIKINGS 24 - 49ers 13
- Last week I said nobody cares about the Vikings. The 49ers had looked unstoppable through the first two games. I'm not sure what it was about the Vikes that stumped them, but this Vikings team plays the Texans (in Houston) later in the year, so they could give my team trouble in Week 16.
- I also said last week that I thought Christian Ponder has looked impressive so far, and he still has even against a stout Niner defense. Not a lot of passing yards (198), but three touchdowns.
CHIEFS 27 - Saints 24 (OT)
- Overtime game No. 2 of 3: The Chiefs score 18 unanswered points (touchdown, three field goals and a safety) to force overtime in NAWLINS, then Ryan Succop hits his sixth field goal of the day to win the game. The comeback was started when Jamaal Charles broke a 91 yard run late in the third quarter, so good for you if he started on your team.
- The Saints are approaching being the 'Aints again after starting 0-3. "Who dat?" may go from being an ironic cheer for fans to an insult once again.
BENGALS 38 - Redskins 31
- Head coach Mike Shanahan is concerned about his quarterback, Robert Griffin III, taking so many hits. Here's an idea coach. How about you stop calling so many options plays that are designed to get your quarterback hit! Also, I know the defense is bad and I know the offense is scoring enough points to win games, but a big reason for these two losses so far has been that the Shanahans are calling far too many of these cutesy options plays. That's not the game plan they had against the 'Aints in Week 1 that got RG3 off to his awesome rookie start.
- How about Andy Dalton? Who knew all it took for THE GINGER to have a great passing performance was for him to get the heck away from the Baltimore defense. He has back-to-back games with more than 300 passing yards and three touchdowns.
TITANS 44 - Lions 41 (OT)
- Overtime game No. 3 of 3: Tennessee led 20-9 at halftime over Detroit. The Lions then scored 18 straight points, followed by the Titans scoring 21 points, followed then by the Lions scoring 14 points in the final 18 seconds of regulation, including a hail mary touchdown by backup quarterback Shaun Hill to force overtime. Tennessee kicked a field goal on the first possession which, per the new OT rules, allows the Lions one possession. Due to some miscommunication between the center and quarterback, the Lions were stopped on 4th-and-1, and the Titans came away with a win.
- The three quarterbacks in this game (Jake Locker, Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill) combined for five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Considering Stafford threw three picks in Week 1, Hill is a backup and Locker is a second-year guy, that's pretty impressive. Or maybe these two defenses are just that bad. After all, the two offenses combined for 46 points in the fourth quarter.
JAGUARS 22 - Colts 17
- Hey look. Andrew Luck
- Wait ... did Blaine Gabbert throw an 80-yard game-winning touchdown pass? Well that sucks for you, Colts fans. At least they didn't catch a miracle Hail Mary pass because your defense doesn't know how to bat the ball down ... that still stings.
CARDINALS 27 - Eagles 6
- Ladies and gentlemen, your 3-0 ... Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have not started 3-0 since 1974 ... when the team was in St. Louis ... and Gerald Ford was president of the United States. This isn't an easy 3-0, either, as the Cards beat the Seahawks, the Patriots and the Eagles. One of the unfortunate side effects of this whole officiating situation is that nobody is talking about the great start Arizona is having.
- On the flip side, if you took the pessimist point of view I outlined last week about the Eagles, you look pretty smart right now.
FALCONS 27 - Chargers 3
- With the 49ers getting their asses handed to them by the Vikings, it appears the Falcons are the best team in the NFC, which is not entirely unexpected. Matt Ryan is a very good quarterback who is a playoff win or MVP-type season away from being a great quarterback. He is surrounded by talent, including two All-Pro-caliber wide receivers and a future Hall of Fame tight end.
- It's good to see the Chargers are still bad. Those first two weeks had me worried. But, of course, the Falcons are just a little more legitimate than the Titans and Raiders. Also, Philip Rivers still acts like a child.
TEXANS 31 - Broncos 25
- This can't just be homerism anymore. Other people have to agree the Texans look like the best team in the AFC, right? Maybe even the league? It's 1-2 with them and the Falcons right now. The offense puts up big numbers, either rushing or passing. The defense does not give up ground easy (only three touchdowns given up through three games, two of them garbage time TDs from Peyton).
- Do not despair, Denver fans. Yes the Broncos have two straight losses, but those losses came to the Falcons and Texans, who are hands-down the two best teams in the league right now. Manning's passes still have zip. The real worry for Peyton should be his rust, which seems to have affected his decision-making. He threw three picks in the first quarter last week, and there were four or five passes in this game the Texans defense should have intercepted. Side note: the Texans secondary better be going through catching drills come this week in practice.
- Again, 2.5 sacks.
RAIDERS 34 - Steelers 31
- Ben Roethlisberger threw for 384 yards and FOUR touchdowns, which makes me very glad I didn't play anybody in fantasy this week who had Big Ben.
- Unfortunately for Big Ben, the supposedly stout Steelers defense allowed 34 points to the Raiders. Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer threw three touchdowns. That happened. The Steelers had a 31-21 lead going into the fourth quarter, and the Raiders were able to score 13 straight points to win. As I said in my divisional predictions, don't expect to see the playoffs this year, Pittsburgh.
RAVENS 31 - Patriots 30
- First off, as far as this week goes, Baltimore receiver Torrey Smith is a better human being than you or I. He finds out his younger brother dies, and within 24 hours, he goes on the field and plays a remarkable game. I know ESPN and NBC shoved the story down your throat all night, but there truly is a strength there that I doubt I would have. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family, Torrey.
- Joe Flacco threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. And he won the game. So on paper, he makes my "not elite" joke look bad, and many people are quick to point out that Flacco out-performed Brady in this game. Except, having re-watched the highlights, you can see on the final drive: one terrible floating pass over Anquan Boldin that the Patriots should have intercepted, and then he gets saved by a defensive pass interference that set up the field goal. So I'll wait a bit longer before I stop making jokes about Flacco.
- This game had 24 penalties, and I'm worried the elderly referee in this game knows only two words: "defensive" and "holding." After a particular call that went against the Ravens (can't remember which one), the Baltimore crowd broke out into what Al Michaels called "the loudest manure chant he's heard."
The big questionable call at the end of this game was the last field goal, which is somehow not reviewable. Apparently it's impossible to have a camera set up underneath each crossbar to get a good look at this kind of thing. This, in turn, made the Patriots unhappy with the refs. Brandon Spikes tweeted, "Can someone please tell these f***ing zebras foot locker called and they’re needed Back at work !!!!
I wrote the opener to this blog about how the replacement referee situation had reached its tipping point due to this game, thinking there was no chance the Monday Night Football game could have any worse calls. Ohhh ... foresight is not one of my talents apparently. Because ...
SEAHAWKS 14 - Packers 12
- ... then this game happened.
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| The picture that will live on in infamy, but hopefully not define this season. |
- It amazes me that the side judge (the referee on your right, No. 26) had a better view of what happened before both players hit the ground, and yet its the back judge (ref on your left) that makes the correct call. How do these guys not see straight away that they made differing calls and immediately call a conference to sort it out? Also, how is the ruling on the field "touchdown" when these two made differing calls?
- And then there was confusion about whether or not this play was reviewable and somehow the officials decided simultaneous catch was not reviewable. Tuesday, however, we learned that simultaneous catch IS reviewable IF the play occurs in the endzone, which this play obviously did. That's not a mistake by the referees; that's something the NFL rules people in the replay booth and along the sidelines -- who are not replacements by the way -- should have known and told to the replacement officials. So it's one thing if the call on the field is questionable, because that happens. Though in this case, I felt it was fairly easy to see that the defender caught the ball in real time speed. But the fact that the play was reviewed and the touchdown was upheld is inexcusable.
- Yes, I saw that Golden Tate pushed off, and it doesn't bother me too much that they missed that. It was a very egregious push-off, but if you're an official on any level, your main concern is probably where the ball ends up, so I'm fine with that. If you want to point at a questionable call, how about the roughing the passer call and the defensive pass interference call, both against the Green Bay Packers, on the previous drive that gave the Seahawks a good chance to score.
- I said last week that the NFL does not care that the fans are pissed about the refs, and they don't, but I'm willing to bet the NFL cares that the last play in this game was featured on morning news and talk shows. Politicians are getting involved, too, which just pisses me off. Hey Congress. Stay. Out. Of. Football. Anyway, all the attention this last call is getting may finally be the push the NFL needed to get a deal done, as reports have come out that talks have resumed and some sources are saying the two sides are getting "close" ... whatever that means.
So overall, a crazy week in football. Thanks for reading.
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