Aaron Rodgers
Week 12 in the NFL opened on Thursday, U.S. Thanksgiving, and while I thought we might see three good football games, we saw one.
The Dallas-Miami clash came right down to the final moments and that was worth watching, but I’m afraid the other two? Well, in the end, they were indeed turkeys, mere wasted effort on a holiday Thursday.
Green Bay demolished Detroit 27-15 as Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns as Green Bay improved to 11-0 and have now won 17 straight games dating back to last season. Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh was once again vilified by idiot TV announcers — that’s clowns get dumber and more annoying every day — and it brought this response from one of our most loyal readers, the enlightened Fort Rouge Ted:
Ndamukong Suh: Old time NFL Football.
“Scotty, I was talking with Pops after the games on Thursday and do you realize that not long ago, in a far-off distant land known as the United States of America, when the NFL was a real man’s league, Suh would have been made out to be an effing god. He would be on the same pedestal with Mean Joe Greene, Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Teddy The Stork Hendricks, Lyle Alzado, Deacon Jones, Mad Jack Lambert and Jack The Assassin Tatum. Suh would be a superstar among the defensive warriors of the real NFL. He would be cheered as much by his hometown fans as they would have hated the opposition, all while he was decapitating quarterbacks.
“And not just Suh. What about that disgraceful roughing the passer call against Kyle Vandenbosch on Aaron Rodgers. That was embarrassingly bad. I was glad that Troy Aikman (the best in the business, by the way) said something. If that’s what my NFL has become, I don’t how much longer my passion will last.
“Then along came the liberal intellectuals, all the effing Harvard lawyers and Yale doctors, and they have changed the game to the point that it’s now made for gutless girly-men wearing skirts and playing to the cameras. Meanwhile, the TV and talk-show announcers and all the would-be intellectuals, people who have never watched NFL films from the 60s and 70s, make Suh out to be a villain to be ridiculed by the politically correct in this baby-doll league we once called the NFL. No sir, I don’t like it. I want my old NFL back.”
As an Eastern university graduate and proud liberal, it’s sometimes hard to read my friends’ criticisms of other Eastern university graduates, liberal or not (by the way he acts around people, I would guess NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is a conservative Republican), but in his own blue-collar way, Teddy might be right. Between all the announcers passing judgment and all the officials throwing more flags than I ever remember, the game is getting dull, dull, dull.
With Sunday Ticket, you can bounce back and forth among a number of games, but when you’re stuck watching one game at a time as we were on Thursday, that game can get mind-numbingly uninteresting. Too many commercials, too many ridiculously dumb statements by the colour commentators (the play-by-play guys are generally solid) and way too many flags are making today’s NFL the dullest reality show on TV.
Tony Romo
Meanwhile, back on Thursday, Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes and Dan Bailey kicked a 28-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lead Dallas past Miami 20-19 in a decent, but not great, football game. It was actually encouraging to see Romo play the final few minutes with a little poise.
And in the Har-Bowl: Ravens coach John Harbaugh beat his brother, Niners coach Jim Harbaugh, 16-6. Niners quarterback Alex Smith was sacked nine times while Joe Flacco threw one touchdown pass as the Ravens improved to 8-3 and the Niners fell to 9-2. That game, I’m afraid, was dishwater dull.
But now it’s the weekend and that means that on Sunday afternoon, I can watch five games at once and not be bored to tears by another one of those GEICO commercials I’ve already seen 300 times. This weekend, the big games include Buffalo at the New York Jets; Chicago at Oakland; New England at Philadelphia; Denver at San Diego; and the NY Giants at New Orleans on Monday night.
By the way, on Thursday, Doc Football went 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread while The Coach went 2-1 straight up and 1-2 against the spread. The Coach really did think San Francisco was for real and that Baltimore would not be as good without Ray Lewis. Sadly, for The Coach, Baltimore might be better without Ray Lewis.
As always, Doc Football writes the game-by-game justifications and The Coach reserves the right to get snarky.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Sam Bradford
Arizona Cardinals (3-7) at St. Louis Rams (2-8)
Line: Rams by 3
St. Louis QB Sam Bradford should have a good day at home as his strong arm is going to be utilized all game long against a weak Cardinals secondary. Rams should have beaten the Cardinals the last time they met, and they also should learn from their mistakes from the previous matchup. Arizona has one player, Larry Fitzgerald, and if the Rams shut him down, they’ll shut down the Cardinals. It doesn’t hurt to be at home, either.
Dr. Football: RAMS TO WIN AND COVER.
The Coach: RAMS TO WIN AND COVER.
Buffalo Bills (5-5) at New York Jets (5-5)
Line: Jets by 9
The Jets are desperate need of a win after being “Tebowed” last week, and should get one against a tattered Buffalo team it easily handled just three weeks ago. Offensively, Buffalo has completely broken down the last five weeks and to complicate things even more for them, RB Fred Jackson will be out for this game due to a leg injury.
Dr. Football: JETS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER
The Coach: JETS TO WIN AND COVER
Joshua Cribbs of the Browns
Cleveland Browns (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
Line: Bengals by 7.5
Both teams have been involved in a lot of close games this year. The difference is the Bengals have been better at winning them. The Bengals offense is the edge in this one, especially with WR A.J. Green back on Sunday. They will keep the ball moving downfield, and keep control of the clock as the Browns defense does not have the talent to match the Bengals offense.
Dr. Football: BENGALS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER
The Coach: BENGALS TO WIN AND COVER
Houston Texans (7-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
Line: Texans by 3.5
Matt Schaub’s absence won’t be felt this week thanks to Texans’ shutdown defense and Jaguars’ woeful offense. Arian Foster is good enough to keep the pressure off of the other Matt (Leinart) this week, and the Texans will pick up an important win.
Dr. Football: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: TEXANS TO WIN AND COVER
Carolina Panthers (2-8) at Indianapolis Colts (0-10)
Line: Panthers by 3.5
If the Colts are going to win at all this season, this figures to be their best chance. After all they can’t go 0-16, can they? (Coach sez: Sure they can).
Dr. Football: COLTS TO WIN
The Coach: PANTHERS TO WIN AND COVER
Chris Johnson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at Tennessee Titans (5-5)
Line: Titans by 3
Bucs showed some heart in last week’s loss, and the mediocre Titans represent a step down in competition to what they’ve been facing lately. This week, they face a much better defense in Tennessee and won’t get the last minute opportunity for a comeback. Offensively, the Titans are a solid team no matter who is playing quarterback.
Dr. Football: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: TITANS TO WIN AND COVER
Minnesota Vikings (2-8) at Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
Line: Falcons by 9
Vikings are 3-13 in their last 16 road games and won’t have Adrian Peterson, while Matt Ryan shouldn’t have problems shredding depleted Minnesota secondary. Ryan should have a field day against a terrible Vikings defense, and struggling rookie Christian Ponder won’t be able to keep up without his best weapon.
Dr. Football: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER
The Caleb Hanie Era Starts Sunday
Chicago Bears (7-3) at Oakland Raiders (6-4)
Line: Raiders by 4.5
Caleb Hanie will get some help from Chicago’s defense and special teams, but the Bears won’t quite be able to overcome the loss of Jay Cutler who is out for 6-8 weeks with a broken thumb. Hanie has nowhere near the arm as Cutler and this is going to force the Bears to run the ball. This option isn’t bad for the Bears as they have one of the best running backs in the league this year with Matt Forte, and Oakland struggles a bit against the run. However, the Raiders do not struggle when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback, and this will spell doom for the Bears. There probably isn’t a worse place for the Caleb Hanie Era to begin than in Oakland.
Dr. Football: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: RAIDERS TO WIN AND COVER
Seattle's Marshawn Lynch
Washington Redskins (3-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-6)
Line: Seahawks by 3.5
Seahawks have very quietly been playing pretty good football over the last couple of weeks, while Redskins have been playing pretty poor football considerably longer. Seattle’s defense is improving each week and this week they face Redskins QB Rex Grossman who is, for lack of a better word, a bum. Seattle’s offense will utilize RB Marshawn Lynch a lot this week and will be successful.
Dr. Football: SEAHAWKS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: SEAHAWKS TO WIN AND COVER
Tom Brady
New England Patriots (7-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
Line: Patriots by 3
Last week’s win didn’t cure all the Eagles’ problems, and the incredibly efficient Patriots should be able to take advantage of their opponent’s sore spots.Especially the big holes on defense. Bill Belichick will find a way to confuse Vince Young and force a couple of turnovers, and that should be enough for the Pats. Frankly, in a battle between Eli Manning and Vince Young (last week), I might take Young, but in a battle between Tom Brady and Vince Young, I’ll take Brady any day.
Dr. Football: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER
Tim Tebow
Denver Broncos (5-5) at San Diego Chargers (4-6)
Line: Chargers by 6
Denver’s defense is improving each week while San Diego’s is in decline. Tim Tebow is an unexplainable 4-1, and despite his lack of throwing ability, the Broncos keep winning. This week, Tebow will need to quickly get points on the board to be successful. Denver’s defense will pressure Chargers QB Philip Rivers into limited third down conversions, and probably a turnover or two. The Tebow experiment works for yet another week. (Coach sez: The Broncos keep winning because the team has faith in its quarterback. The entire team is playing better because the players believe Tebow will win it in the end. The guy is a winner, period).
Dr. Football: BRONCOS TO WIN
The Coach: BRONCOS TO WIN
SUNDAY NIGHT
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-6)
Line: Steelers by 10.5
Injury-riddled Chiefs couldn’t score on New England’s questionable defense on Monday, and will run into similar problems against the well-rested Steelers. The Steelers are more talented in every category, and this game will be over by half time.
Dr. Football: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: STEELERS TO WIN AND COVER
MONDAY NIGHT
Darren Sproles
New York Giants (6-4) at New Orleans Saints (7-3)
Line: Saints by 7
Eli Manning returns to his hometown in the Monday nighter, to the stadium where his father, Archie, enjoyed some of his best NFL years. But with all due respect to Peyton’s little brother, the city of New Orleans currently belongs to fellow Super Bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints are rested and incredibly explosive on their home turf, putting a Giants team that hasn’t put putting up a whole lot of points as of late in a very tough spot.
Dr. Football: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER
The Coach: SAINTS TO WIN AND COVER