What's The Frequency, RB?

For the NFL being a pass-first, second and third league, an awful lot of running backs were hurt last weekend to add to the litany of running backs already injured. The injuries range from minor (strained hammy for Mark Ingram) to major (Achilles tear for Earnest Graham). Mix in injuries to Darren McFadden, Beanie Wells, Willis McGahee and Tim Hightower and the waiver wire explodes this week. You can't discount having a RB handcuff or a top waiver priority at this time of the season - just ask those teams that added (or had) DeMarco Murray last week. I would expect Run DMC's owners to also have Michael Bush, but how many teams are holding onto Knowshon Moreno? He should be a hot pickup this week. For those holding (or probably starting the past two weeks) Ryan Torain, at least it is a coin flip if he'll be the feature back this week instead of having to roll a three-sided die. I know a lot of running back get hurt every year, but I do attribute the massive amount of injuries on the year to improper conditioning and lack of team continuity from the lockout.

I stated numerous times in August and September that there will be a huge chasm between the good teams and the bad teams and there will be a lot of inconsistency in teams trying to find themselves this year and swinging from hot to cold. There were plenty of games that continued to illustrate this again this week:

• Indianapolis at New Orleans - The most shocking component of this game was how long Drew Brees stayed in the game. After half, every single bottom-of-the-chart player should have been in.
• Baltimore at Jacksonville - The Ravens bland offense was definitely on display on MNF. Shadow Ray Rice with two players and double-cover Anquan Boldin and the Ravens aren't dynamic enough to adjust their gameplan. Arizona is not talented, or smart enough, to follow this formula this week so expect Baltimore to return scoring a lot of points. BTW, that Billy Cundiff field goal attempt was one of the worst I have ever seen. He almost kicked the ball to the sideline.
• Seattle at Cleveland - I did not think spectators could be as bored as the English folk on Sunday who attended the Bears-Bucs game using free tix, but I could retire if given a dollar for each yawn in Cleveland on Sunday.
• Kansas City at Oakland - It was painfully obvious that the Raiders' scouts are top tier. After working out Carson Palmer and claiming he was starting QB ready, he proved he was by equaling Kyle Boller's output...to the Chiefs secondary. Bleech. Not a good idea to be embarrassed in your home debut, especially since you have a long line of predecessors at your position who have done just that, Carson.

Well, I hate to toot my own horn (if I only could...), but I could see the stars aligning for Tim Tebow this past week. Of course, he gets all the credit for three minutes of good football triggered by his defense and special teams. No one remembers how bad he was all game long nor do they give credit where credit is due. Of course, the defense and special teams were inspired by the almighty one (lower case used so not to be blasphemous). This dude has a major horseshoe imbedded in his posterior, that is for sure. He now gets a hero's welcome at home against a Lions team missing its starting RB and, most likely, its starting QB. I would cut him some slack if he would only buy some lottery tickets for me.

Monday Night Fzztball

I have petitioned Webster to change the spelling of "Football" when preceded by the words "Monday Night". The game has turned into a real snoozefest. The games have lacked any excitement while being played and the only buzz surrounding the games has been events involving participants, Hank Williams Jr. included. You take Darrelle Revis out of this Monday's game and the only pre-game talk was about Santonio Holmes calling out the Jets' offensive line (yawn). Include Revis and you have a bunch of talk about, and from, Brandon Marshall. During the game, Revis manhandled Marshall, which took little effort as Marshall put forth as much effort as a fat man lumbering down an incline; letting gravity do most of the work. I could run cleaner routes with a belly full of Yukon Jack than what Marshall did on Monday. Even worse, on the one play where he lost Revis for a huge gainer, the end zone was still too far off in the distance and he sauntered out of bounds instead of exerting himself for another 30 yards. Sadly, his play was also reflected in many other Dolphins; a truly sad overall effort and not one the ESPN paid a king's ransom for.

Speaking of generous gifts, how bad are the Cowboys when they could not capitalize on four turnovers by the New England offense to put them away? History is filled with wannabees looking for a huge upset and allowing good teams to hang around through great adversity and finding a way to win in the end. The Cowboys are only skilled at snatching defeat out of the mouth of victory....and for carting Felix Jones off the field. Jones is full of marshmallows.

Expect the Vikings to save some money on moving costs when the season ends. Sure, LA is a long way away, but they will not be packing any memorabilia from the Humpty Dumpty Dome, any fans and only a handful of players when they leave town. I don't even expect a yard sale. I see them wheeling the whole lot of trash out to the curb and fleeing. After Sunday night's debacle, I don't think they'll be missed.

Argh. My Colts upset was close at hand as they drove for a tying/go-ahead score late in the game when Pierre Garconed-up the ball that the Bengals returned for a game icing score. Rats. That would have been a nice payday as I played the moneyline when the spread was 7 points. They have no chance in The Big Easy this weekend. There is another heap of terrible games on tap for week 7, including another snoozer on MNF; Baltimore at Jacksonville. Do you know that the Jags are scheduled for not one, not two, but three Prime Time games, a-ha-ha....two MNF and the evening Thanksgiving game on the NFL Network? Wives are happy to see this scheduling as many men will trade suffering through these games for family time...and hopefully some lovin'.


I do like KC to continue their run of improved play and to go into Oakland and come out with a win, even if Carson Palmer proves that holding out always pays off. The Left Coast will welcome him back with open arms, but I have a feeling KC puts a damper on the celebration. Speaking of celebrating, wait until you see LoDo after Tebow leads Denver to a road win in Miami on Sunday. Talk about perfect timing. The Broncos are rested after a Bye, play a team that is coming off a Monday night game, play one of the worst teams in the NFL this year that simply does not consider its home turf an advantage and the game is in a state that started the Tebow Blind Adulation Society. There will be more Gator grads in the crowd than Dolphin fans. The press about Tebow and him being a Savior will be unbearable. I am readying my vomitorium for excessive output.

After 5 Weeks

I really wish I could get excited about the NFL this year, but it really hasn't happened yet. Maybe it is the record of my Bears (2-3) or their maddening play calling. Maybe it is the wealth of really bad teams...and them matching up on the schedule. Seriously, how many people do you think are interested in watching the Colts play the Bengals? I would rather watch Justin Timberlake try to act, which actually would make me laugh. Not much else humors me on NFL Sundays though. I am not sure who comes up with the DirecTV commercials with Deion Sanders but they irritate me enough to make me want to switch to Dish Network. The only commercials that rival DirecTV's for stupidity are the Miller Lite "Man Up" commercials. While the beer has always been terrible, they have had some good commercials in the past. They need to realize how bad the current stream is. The advertising agency is really reaching for humor in their offering and are coming up woefully short.

I hope the fans in Denver are happy since the most overhyped QB in history is starting for them this week. Unless he plays defense, they still won't win.I hope Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn find a new home soon. The Denver fans that have been lobbying for Tebow all season know little about football....and they probably laugh at the Man Up commercials. As long as Brandon Lloyd can continue to make Tebow look respectable, he'll be revered even when they lose.

I'm sold on Jim Harbaugh. I loved what he did at Stanford and am amazed at how well he has motivated the Niners to play. If anyone was gong to straighten Alex Smith out, it would be Harbaugh. They have had the talent over the past few years to win a very weak division, but they grossly underperformed. I'm not sure how Samurai Mike was unable to motivate his troops, but my hat is off to them and I expect them to give Detroit all they can handle on Sunday.

Speaking of game predictions, I like the Colts going into Cincinnati and getting their first win. The Rams won't get their first win this week, but it will come soon. I can't make the same prediction about the Dolphins though.

Whoa For Week 4

The expected themes of the 2011 season continue; lots of injuries and lots of erratic play, plus a big distinction between the good teams and the bad teams. Week 4 had many more injuries, ranging from annoyances (strains to the likes of Rashard Mendenhall) to major injuries (anything keeping Andre Johnson from playing is major especially when no one knows how long he'll be out).

Though we have seen meltdowns many times this year and in years past, but has anyone seen anything like what transpired in Dallas on Sunday? I hate the Cowboys and absolutely despise Jerry Jones, but even I felt uncomfortable watching that game wind down. It was like watching a comedian truly bomb on stage. You want to laugh at him, but you would rather see him just walk away before his set was over. At least the Cowboy fans know what it was like for Romo the week before; very hard to breathe.

Though Monday night's game matching up the Tampa Bay Bucs and Indianapolis Colts was an instant yawner on paper when Peyton Manning was declared out, it was actually a very good game. Too bad ESPN chose not to up the excitement level by touting yet another Purdue QB starting a game in week 4...and, oh yeah, they decided to omit the normal MNF rallying question that we always answer with a resounding "Hells Yeah!" when Bocephus was put on the Inactive roster prior to the game. Hard to believe after 20 non-descript years of opening MNF games that Randall Hank Williams' streak came to an end due to a foot injury (hurt extracting it from his mouth was the reason listed on the injury report). Of course, those in "the know" will swear that this was not a true injury and Jr never felt like he put his foot in jeopardy to begin with. Not sure why ESPN causes about political opinions no matter how little sense they make.

The Vikings are all out of ideas on how to win a game. After blowing big first half leads in their first three games, they decided to go into the second half of their game against KC without the lead. Unfortunatley, this strategy did not work and they lost again. An anonymous fan supposedly suggested a new strategy for the second half; Give the ball to AP!

Where have the powerhouse defenses gone? Two of the best perceived defenses, the Ravens and the Jets, decided to give up 51 points (34 in the first half) on Sunday. Look for the Patriots to follow the same strategy against the Jets this weekend. How about the big free agent additions for the Eagles on D....ask them how they give up 24 points to the Niners in Philly. I don't think San Fran scored that many points in a single game last year. Bad Dream Team.

Good for The Bears to remember that running the football is part of most teams' game plans....and the best way to keep Jay Cutler healthy. Of course, unless they put a stop their running backs doing backflips after scoring, they might not have enough healthy running backs soon either. Seriously, Marion Barber decides to do a backflip after scoring Sunday?!!

Does he have any idea how many games he has missed in the last 5 years?

Are the Redskins really 3-1?