Sean Taylor died today at the age of 24. I didn't know him and I wouldn't profess to be a big fan of his, but this is a sad day for anyone who follows football. Having lived in the Washington area throughout his career, I have had the opportunity to see Taylor play over the years and have watched him evolve into one of the premier defensive players in the game. It's sad to see anyone so young be cut down by violence, regardless of whom they are, but I can't remember another time when such a prominent athlete has ever been killed during the prime of his career.
At 24, Taylor had already established himself as one of the League's dominant defenders and by all accounts, his recent personal maturation positioned him to play smarter, work harder, and possibly become the secondary's version of Lawrence Taylor. His death leaves a gaping hole not only in the Redskins' secondary, but also in their locker room and in the lives of his teammates, family, and friends. #21 will be missed.
2. Little Giants
After watching the Giants, or more accurately Eli Manning, crumble against the Vikings, my friend Scott said the following: "Do those guys even practice?" Manning passed the ball like Greg Paulus Sunday, throwing four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. With Peyton in the stands (probably filming a commercial), little brother played the worst game of his career, his coach considered benching him, and the New York media is already calling for his head. But should they be?
Eli had a bad game. He's a young quarterback. That's going to happen. But what did we learn here that we didn't already know? That he's not Peyton Manning? Yup, got it. The kid had a bad day and sooner or later if he has enough bad days, he'll be gone. But I think this game is getting overblown. Eli Manning is not a great NFL quarterback, but he is a good one. The guy led his team to a 7-3 start and earned his teammates' respect this year, on and off the field. If his name wasn't Manning, expectations would be lower, there would be less pressure, and we might be hearing more about his good qualities instead of his bad ones. He's not Ben Rothlisberger. He's not Carson Palmer. He's certainly not Peyton Manning. But he's not bad either. Next Sunday, he'll take on Rex Grossman in a battle of the embattled. The Giants are the better team and should win this game. But both quarterbacks will be fighting for their jobs and both teams will be fighting for playoff contention. This should be a good one.
3. Patriot Games
I don’t understand how the Eagles were 22-point underdogs in this one. I don’t. They have one of the best, most consistent defenses in the NFL, including a secondary that eats up outside routes like Madden at a Thanksgiving dinner table. I guess the theory was that no defense could stop the Pats from scoring 35 points and that a McNabbless offense would stop in its tracks against New England. Vegas was wrong.
The Eagles came into this game with a chip on their shoulders. AJ Feeley played miraculous football for all but two bookend plays, both of which happened to be intercepted. In between those errant passes, he led the offense better than McNabb has all season. If I were an Eagles fan, I’d be asking myself why my team plays better without its star quarterback. Between Jeff Garcia last year and Feeley this year, the E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles look a lot stronger without the injury-plagued McNabb. QB controversy, anyone?
As far as the Pats go, I don’t see this game as a step back for them. I see it as a step forward. The Birds shut down the outer lanes and took away their number one option in Moss. Still, Brady found a way to win. Wes Welker stepped up and caught 13 passes for 149 yards. The defense made two crucial interceptions. They may go 19-0 but do people really expect them to run away with every game? The Pats will not win in the playoffs if they are not tested before they get there. This game and the Colts game are really the only times we’ve seen them in trouble all season. The League is too competitive for them to win 19 blowouts. Some games will be close and in a game when the Eagles played them close from beginning to end (maybe outplayed them), they still pulled out a victory. This should be an encouraging sign for Bill Belichick.
4. Mud-day Night Football
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be ashamed that they forced the Dolphins to play on that field and they’re lucky they weren’t made to forfeit.
5. Terps Give NC State the Business
Enjoy this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gAMtCCezpfU
3 comments:
The think with McNabb isn't that he's a bad QB. I mean since 2000, who have been the best QB's in the league. My picks would be Brady, Manning. Of course Brady and Manning are on a whole different level, but if they were both available, I'd go with McNabb circa 2003-2004 (Remember 4th & 26???).
But McNabb is in bad shape. He's been unjured almost constantly the last 3 years.
So what can you do? I say you start Feeley unless McNabb is 100% healthy (and I mean 100%). You don't change around the whole offense because your backup QB had a very good game. Even though its the best team in the league they played, its still not worth it long term.
But if McNabb can't stay healthy, then Feeley may be the guy. I'm not knocking McNabb's skills, but just his health. He's not the same guy that was in 4 straight NFC championships.
The other thing is that prevents a lot of people from wanted to pull the plug is that they're scared to death of McNabb signing with another team and leading them to the title. For instance, the Eagles let him go and he signs with Chicago (his hometown) and leads them to the title. Philly fans everywhere would kill themselves.
"Eli Manning passed the ball like Greg Paulus" -- if you are talking basketball, that's an insult. If you are talking football, who knows--remember he was gonna play QB for Notre Dame!
Eli Manning has the talent, that is not a question. He is missing the clutch, intelligent side that is evident in the greats like Favre and his brother. These are QBs who seem to always come up big. Eli so far has not shown this ability at all. As soon as the pressure comes, so do the interceptions. He is young, so I hope he can get to the next level. If the Giants make the postseason, let's see how he responds to the limelight once again.
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