Money

Once again, we were reminded that anything can happen in the NFL.  The Packers can lose.  The Colts can win.  Tim Tebow can play well in the 1^st quarter. 

We were reminded of so much more in Week 15.  A few highlights…

Tom Brady is money…

He may catch Marino but he won’t catch Drew Brees.  He won’t win back-to-back MVP awards.  That’s down to Brees and Aaron Rodgers.  Brady’s numbers last Sunday seem almost pedestrian by his own standards (23 of 34 for 320 yards and 2 TD) but his game management was exceptional.  The Broncos were supposed to control the clock and the game with their rushing attack and it certainly looked like it would play out that way after the 1^st quarter.  In the end, it was the Patriots holding the ball for nearly 34 minutes, running 72 plays to Denver’s 58 and rushing for 141 yards.

Numbers, absent context, are merely numbers unless they’re really, really big…

Not to take anything away from Drew Brees but (yes, I am going there) that was Minnesota’s famous Cover None defense he was playing pitch and catch against last Sunday.  Still, 32 of 40 for 412 yards and 5 TD are some really big numbers.  Brees relentless attack on the green spaces between Vikings’ DBs, combined with Rodgers’ pedestrian performance in the Packers loss, had some Pigskin Pundits and Bobbleheads touting the Big Breesy for MVP over Rodgers.  With Green Bay’s offensive line down to third-stringers, it could happen.

The Minnesota Vikings need defensive backs…

Yeah, I know.  They need a lot of things.  

Someday, everything is gonna be different…

God is always testing the faithful…

I don’t see last Sunday’s game as a referendum on Tim Tebow as an NFL quarterback.  If you’re playing against the Patriots and Tom Brady you have a 78% chance of losing.  Yes, he has to get better as a passer but given his college numbers, what’s to say he doesn’t?  It’s never good to lose but I got the feeling the Broncos were almost relieved they didn’t lose 49-3 or something along those lines.  Can you build on a 41-23 loss?  Tim Tebow and the Broncos just might.  It doesn’t hurt having Buffalo next on the schedule, either.

The Giants, despite their name, do not come up big in the clutch…

Yeah, I bought that whole Eli Manning is an elite quarterback thing, too.

The Eagles could have been something special…

It’s a good thing you can’t die from regret.

Calvin Johnson deserves his nickname…

Don’t you double-team this guy?  Don’t you make somebody else on the Lions beat you?  I mean, if you’re not the Oakland Raiders.

The Texans were going to miss Matt Schaub at some point…

It’s awesome the Texans finally get a playoff game.  Unfortunately, they’ll lose in the Wild Card round to the Jets.

The Chiefs apparently hated playing for Todd Haley…

It’s obviously more complicated than that but it’s also hard to ignore.  Can you picture Haley’s Chiefs, with Tyler Palko under center, beating the Packers?  No.  That doesn’t happen.  Haley feuded publicly with officials, opponents and his own players on the sidelines.  As a Patriots fan, I know that’s a duty the head coach should delegate to his coordinators.  I was not surprised to see Romeo Crennel come up with a defensive game plan to shut down a seemingly unstoppable offense.  I’ve seen that movie before.

Quarterback is the most important position on the field…

Need proof?  I have just two words to say.  Caleb Hanie.  Not convinced?  Let’s try this: Tyler Palko.

Norv Turner should only be a Head Coach in December…

Okay, probably not December, either.  No, definitely not. 

The Ravens are not very good on the road…

Paradoxically, Baltimore needed to get wins on the road to secure home field advantage.  Alas, the Ravens cannot win more than 8 games at home.  It’s a rule or something. 

Adversity is just a word you find after Adverb in the dictionary…

This one's for every team with even the slimmest of mathematical chances to make the playoffs.