10 & Out: Things That Went Blow in the NFL Week 11
By Kevin Casini
Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
So, the weekly column is now out Friday? Ya, well, that’s what happens when Wednesday is the new Thursday. That being the case, we present a No-Huddle, 2 minute drill style 10 & Out this week.
QUESTION: What do tornados, referees and Geno Smith have in common?
What I learned this week…..
Tom Brady says bad words.
Philadelphia Eagles HC Chip Kelly still refuses to name Nick Foles the starter if when Mike Vick returns. C’mon dude, get real.
In their last three games the Kansas City Chiefs have a total of zero (0) sacks.
For what its worth…the Arizona Cardinals are 6-4 and playing some really good football. They’ve won three in a row, are scoring 27 PPG in those wins, and have the beat up Colts coming into town this week. Doesn’t look like it’ll get any better for Trent Richardson either: the Cardinals D is #2 in the NFL in rushing yards, at 81.2 yds per game. yea, they’re still buried in their division behind the 10-1 Seahawks, but thanks to another game-deciding call in the Superdome, they’re tied with the 49ers, whom they play in Week 17. During the win streak Carson Palmer is averaging 277 yds, 2 TDs & less than an interception per game. Should be interesting to see if Bruce Arians can get this team to build on its recent success and make a playoff push.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugh
Good: Matt McGloin, Oakland Raiders – In Spring this guy was a nobody QB brought to camp so Matt Flynn’s arm didn’t get sore. Now Flynn is back in Green Bay, the Raiders have benched the artist formerly known as Terrelle Pryor, and McGloin is the starter. Ok, kid, whaddya got? Not only did the Raiders get the win but McGloin became only the second QB in history to throw for 3 TDs and 0 INTs in his first start. I swear to jeebus you’ll never guess the only other one to do so.**
Bad: Soldier Field – After a nearly two hour delay for rain, wind, tornado, wrath, plague, and the like, play resumed for the Ravens and Bears at Soldier Field. Problem was, they don’t do tarps in the NFL, so the field was more like a bog than a playing surface. The craggy morass (hehe) had players, refs and coaches slip-sliding away, ‘running’ extra carefully, and really took away from what could’ve been a good game. Here’s hoping everyone in Chicagoland is doing fine. It’s time for an upgrade of that turf.
Ugh: Geno Smith, New York Jets – Geno was 8-23 with three interceptions in the Jets 37-14 loss in Buffalo. After seeing enough, Rex Ryan went to backup Matt Simms for the 4th quarter. Before that, Geno was severely outplayed by division rookie QB rival-in-waiting EJ Manuel, who was 20/28 for 245 and two scores.
Referees. They botched the Patriots-Panthers game, costing the Patriots a chance at a winning score. Well, the Pats already had their chance I suppose but, once a flag is thrown, you really can’t be then picking it up and running off the field. Either holding occurred before the ball was thrown, pass interference occurred while it was in flight, Kuechly was face-guarding Gronk, there was contact more than five yards down field, or whatever. As my buddy Ed says, “I don’t know what that was, but it was something.” You just can’t have referees deciding the ends of these games, that was too good a game to end that way. Same for the the game in New Orleans. The ref again made a call that this time effectively extended the 49ers-Saints game. After a strip sack that would’ve given the 49ers the ball to ice the 4th Quarter, the ref said the LB’s arm was too close to the head of Drew Brees, called a personal foul, giving the ball back to the Saints, and giving them new life in the process. Could the 49ers have gotten stops to keep Garrett Hartley from hitting a game-tying and then game-winning FGs? Of course. But they shouldn’t have had to. You have to wonder: if that hit was made on, oh, say, Colin Kaepernick, would it have been called? There’s just too much at stake to have these games decided by the refs, and I don’t mean Vegas.
In Honor of their first loss, Top Three…Chiefs
Hanson Brothers (no, not those you clown)
“Chief” from One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
W2W4: Everyone everywhere is giving you Broncos @ Patriots, Sunday Night Football (which further supports a theory from last week). Brady-Manning XIV. Top two QBs of a generation, sure. Return of Wes Welker, maybe. But in reality the ‘rivalry’ isn’t as back-and-forth as you’ve been led to believe. Brady won his first six matchups against the Manning-led Colts, including his first-ever start, and two playoff games, before Manning got the best of Tom & Co. three straight times, including an AFC Title game of his own. In total, Manning is 4-9 against the Brady-led Patriots. When he wins its by an average of 7.75 points. When he’s lost, its by an average of 10.3. In 2008, without Tom Brady, the Patriots lost in Indianapolis, 18-15. In 2011, without Peyton Manning, the Colts lost in Foxboro, 31-24 (in what was Dan Orlovsky’s greatest game ever). Expand the scope a bit further and you look at what Peyton Manning has been able to do against a Bill Belichick defense. At the helm of the New York Jets defense, and then the Patriots, BB is 11-9 against Peyton. In those games Peyton has 37 TDs and 29 INTs. Pretty pedestrian for Manning. Really, the rivalry is with the Denver Broncos. Since 2000, the Patriots are just 6-6 against the Broncos, including losses at home in 2002 and 2006. Over that span the Patriots are averaging 25.75 PP and the Broncos, albeit with different offenses, 21.1. You can bet that against the shell of a defense the Patriots will put out there Sunday night Mr. Manning will punch it in more than three times. Can Mr. Brady match him step-for-step? If so, it’ll be a classic. If not, I’ll be headed to bed.
Locks of the Century of the Week…Week 11 I went all in, to my dismay. 3-9-3 is how that one ended up, thankful to get -3 where I did, many had -3.5. Nest eg? That sumbitch is scrambled. Let’s try again:
Week 12
SD @ KC -5
CAR @ MIA +4.5
TEN @ OAK +1
DAL +3 @ NYG
For 10 & Out, I’m Legendary comeback Quarterback Frank Reich asking you to make sure you get your feet down and get out of bounds.
ANSWER: They all blew in Week 11.
** Todd Marinovich. Seriously. Look it up.
NFL Week 11