By Ryan Glab

 

Bears offense vs. Giants defense

The Bears’ offense is ranked No. 11 in the league with 349 yards per game and ranks 13th in points scored with a 22-point average. When they score, they score quickly because their time of possession is ninth lowest in the league. It’s because of this quick-strike attack and the creative game planning and play calling of Mike Martz that I like the Bears in this particular matchup. The Bears have the opportunity to put up points in this game because the Giants are giving up 28.3 points per game on defense. That’s the third-highest total in the NFL. Jay Cutler and the passing attack will be tested because the Giants have the fourth-ranked passing defense, allowing just 169.3 yards per game through the air. This should be one of those games where Matt Forte and Chester Taylor can find some running room because the Giants have permitted a whopping 136.7 rushing yards per game. The Giants received some bad news on Friday that defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who is second in the league with 4 sacks, will not play this week because of a bulging disc. Osi Umenyiora, another defensive end, missed practice on Friday with a knee injury and he is questionable for the game. The Bears will still have to contend with end Justin Tuck and tackles Chris Canty and Barry Cofield, two large players that clog the middle. The Giants have a good pair of safeties in Antrel Rolle — from Arizona, whom the Bears were considering signing this offseason before adding Julius Peppers — and Kenny Phillips, a hard-hitting safety from the University of Miami who missed time last year but was second on the team in tackles in his rookie season in 2008. Cornerback Terrell Thomas had five interceptions last year and has one so far this season. He also has forced one fumble this year. This game features an interesting dynamic. Immediately upon the conclusion of last season, after Ron Turner was fired and Lovie Smith stepped down as the de facto defensive coordinator, the rumored front runner for the offensive coordinator job was Martz, under whom Smith worked as defensive coordinator in St. Louis, and the front runner for the defensive coordinator position was Perry Fewell, who was Bears defensive backs coach in 2005. Martz was the last man interviewed for the OC job and Fewell ultimately chose the Giants over the Bears. Now, these two men will face each other on Sunday night and I like Martz’s chances.

Advantage: Bears

Bears defense vs. Giants offense

Opponents have rushed an average of just 18.7 times per game against the Bears’ defense, second-fewest in the league. The Bears also have the No. 1 run defense in the league, allowing just 39.7 yards per game. So, which one is the cause and which one is the effect? Are teams rushing less against the Bears because their run defense is so stout? Or is the Bears’ run defense so good because they’re not facing many carries? It depends on your outlook, but I personally think it’s more the former than the latter. With the high level at which linebackers Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Pisa Tinoisamoa are playing, teams aren’t finding much running room and are abandoning the run. However, I’m going to throw a third factor into the discussion. I feel the No. 1 reason why teams haven’t attempted to run the ball as much against the Bears is because their pass defense is so easy to dissect. The Bears have allowed 279.3 yards per game through the air, fifth-most in the league. The Bears are running more Cover 2 this year because of the addition of Peppers and want to generate pressure from their front four. Unfortunately, they’re not doing much of that as they’re tied for last in the league with just two sacks. Ultimately, the most important defensive statistic is scoring, and the Bears rank No. 10 while allowing 17 points per game. Eli Manning will pose some problems for the Bears unless they can rattle his cage. He’s ninth in the league in passing with 270 yards per game and has thrown five touchdowns through three games. When he is pressured, though, he is prone to making mistakes. He is currently tied with Brett Favre for the league lead in interceptions with six. He’s been sacked seven times — sixth most in the league — and he has a modest 81.7 quarterback rating, which ranks him No. 18 in that department. Manning has some good targets in the passing game in wide receivers Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and Hakeem Nicks. Each receiver leads the team in a particular receiving category: Smith in receptions (18), Manningham in yards (238), and Nicks in touchdowns (4). Smith and Manningham can stretch the field and Nicks is a huge target that could give the Bears problems in the red zone. Perhaps the No. 1 threat the Bears will have to contend with is running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw is sixth in the league with 253 rushing yards and averages 4.9 yards per carry. He’s built compactly at 5-9 and 198 pounds and is tough to bring down. He’ll surely test the Bears tackling ability. Bradshaw has also fumbled twice, so there’s the opportunity for turnovers. Considering the Bears’ No. 1 run defense and their defense that thrives on turnovers — I’m looking at you, Eli — I like the Bears in this matchup. The Giants do not have a good kick/punt returner as Darius Reynaud ranks 36th in punt return average and 50th in kick return average. Big advantage for the Bears.

Advantage: Bears

Special Teams

Welcome back, Windy City Flyer. Don’t worry, Hester, when everybody else doubted you, I knew you were still the best man for the job and still one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL. This week, Giants coach Tom Coughlin announced that they would not be kicking to Hester and he had informed his punter to kick it out of bounds if necessary. Whether he’s telling the truth or just putting up a smokescreen doesn’t really matter. What it means is the “Hester Effect” is alive and well and the Bears’ offense ought to be starting with good field position all game, barring a turnover in their territory. Now, with a quarterback as good as Cutler and an offense that is capable of putting points on the board, teams will have to pick their poison and it starts with the Giants. Robbie Gould missed his first field goal of the season last week, a 49-yarder, but still ranks sixth with six field goals made. His counterpart, Lawrence Tynes, has converted just 2 of 4 field goals this year, ranking him second-to-last in the league. Brad Maynard has a 9.1-yard difference between his average and net average, a clear indictment of his coverage team. His specialty, though, is pinning opponents deep with directional punting and he’s sixth in the league with six punts downed inside the 20. His counterpart, rookie Matt Dodge, has just one punt downed inside the 20. He has a 33-yard net average, which ranks him No. 26. A rookie punter playing under the lights in prime time while staring down one of the greatest kick returners of all time could lead to a poor performance and a maybe a big night for Hester — that is, unless he follows his coach’s advice and kicks it directly out of bounds.

Advantage: Bears

Intangibles

I’ve heard a lot of fear this week from Bears fans about facing the “big bad Giants” but as cautious as I try to be, I don’t see where the Giants can exploit the Bears for a victory. The numbers just don’t add up. We know the Giants will be able to move the ball through the air because almost all teams can do that against the Bears. Zone defense, specifically the Cover 2, prevents the big play but gives underneath patterns a nice cushion. So, opponents can move the ball down the field almost at will — if the defense isn’t applying pressure, that is — but the closer the opposing offense gets toward the end zone, the smaller the field gets for them and the less options they have. The wildcard in this game is Bradshaw. He’s a talented running back and the Giants want to get him involved but just how long will they stay with the running game? If the Bears’ defense is indeed the real deal against the run, the Giants may have to resort to passing the ball more. I don’t know if No. 91 will be playing this week or not but if his one-game absence this past week was used as a motivational ploy, hopefully it works out. Somebody has to step up and help Peppers out because he can’t do it by himself just like Cutler couldn’t do it by himself last year. Israel Idonije, Mark Anderson, Matt Toeaina, and Anthony Adams will need to play important roles in this game. On the other side of the ball, the Giants will be without their leading sacker but they’ll still be putting the heat on Cutler. One has to think that even a bad offensive line can improve throughout the season. When it comes to the coaching chess match between Martz and Fewell, I think Martz can take advantage. When you pair up a strong run defense, a defense that thrives on turnovers, one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the league, a dangerous punt returner that scares the opposing head coach, and a coaching staff that is doing a much better job this year than last, the Bears just have too much going for them.

Advantage: Bears

Final Score: Chicago 24, New York 17

http://www.bearsbeat.com/

I consistently ranked the Bears lower than their record suggested in my Power Rankings and I never bet heavily for one reason. I never trusted them. I never trusted them to win 3 or 4 games in a row to win a Super Bowl and I never trusted them enough on a weekly basis to bet heavily on them, especially as favorites. My reasoning was their lack of consistency.

They had some great performances this year. Don’t get me wrong. However, there was that 9 sack game against New York, that 4 pick game against Washington, their home loss to Seattle, their 36-7 loss to New England, their season finale against Green Bay where they only scored 3 points, I just didn’t trust them. I expected them at some point, at any point, to just bomb and have a terrible game. Turns out I was right as they did so in the NFC Championship game, only it was worse than I could have imagined.

They got down early 14-0 against Green Bay. Jay Cutler was 6-14 for 80 yards and a pick. However, he got “hurt.” He came out with a knee injury despite being able to walk around on the sideline. He was later spotted walking up stairs at dinner with his incredibly hot girlfriend Kristin Cavallari and thus it became “kneegate.” It was revealed he had a minor MCL tear the next day, but former and current NFL players still bashed his decision to sit because it was the NFC Championship. As Deion Sanders said, “you would have had to carry me out on a stretcher.”

I am in no position to question Cutler’s toughness, but fellow NFL players are. They played through injury before. They’ve played in Conference Championship games before. They’ve played in and won Super Bowls before. Yes, his teammates said all the right things after the game, but when do teammates ever not say all the right things after a game. Lovie Smith said it was his decision to bench Cutler, but even if that is true, it speaks volumes about Cutler that Lovie Smith would bench him for Todd freakin Collins if he wasn’t badly hurt. Besides, you can always fight to stay in the game.

I’ve never liked Cutler. I’ve  never liked his body language. I’ve never liked his attitude (John Elway and John Lynch, two Hall of Famers, have antecodes about his inability to listen during his time in Denver). I’ve never liked that he hasn’t won on any level. I’ve never liked how many picks he throws.

The Bears look like they will stand behind him, but I’d trade him and get a veteran and picks (Donovan McNabb and 2 future picks?), draft a mid round backup to groom behind him and keep the promising Caleb Hanie as 3^rd quarterback. This is a talented team, with a good defense and experienced coaches, but, as has been the case for 20+ years, they appear to be a quarterback short of a Super Bowl.

 

 

 

2010 Record: 11-5

Draft Position: 29

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

Bears Bloggers: Adam McFadden, Ryan Glab, JP Hochbaum

 

2010 Posts 

Four Downs: Keys to beating the Jets, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Patriots, Game Breakdown: Bears at Lions, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Lions, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Eagles, Game Breakdown: Eagles at Bears, Bears/Dolphins Preview, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Dolphins, Vikings/Bears Preview, Four Downs: Key to beating the Vikings, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Bills, Game Breakdown: Bears at Bills, Why The Bears O-Line Has Become The Safety Position Of Old, Not Much Can Be Solved Against Buffalo, Bears Week 6 Analysis, Game Breakdown: Seahawks at Bears , Four Downs: Keys to beating the Seahawks, Bears Week 5 Thoughts, Here’s To Hoping Todd Collins Survives This Week, Game Breakdown: Bears at Panthers, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Panthers, Mathias Kiwanuka Ruled Out, Game Breakdown: Bears at Giants, Four Downs: Keys to beating the Giants, Bears/Packers Game 3 Analysis

 

 

 

It wouldn’t be free agency if Daniel Snyder didn’t make a big signing. Unlike most of his signings, Cofield is under the age of 30. In fact, he’s 26 so he’ll be under 30 for the majority of this 6 year contract. What is this? Anyway, the Redskins needed a nose tackle and though they might have overpaid a bit, 36 million over 6 years seems reasonable for Cofield and they weakened a division rival at the same time.

Grade: A

 

 

Deal for Rams: First, I want to start by saying that there are several things about this deal I really like. First, instead of just discarding disappointing players by cutting them or trading them for late round picks, both teams here actually tried to get something tangible out of their disappointing former first rounders. I like veteran for veteran trades. I don’t know why they don’t happen more often. Second, and somewhat related, this is really a no risk deal for both sides. Neither of the players swapped were really doing anything productive for their respective teams, but who knows, maybe in a new scheme, they’ll rediscover their talent. It’s unlikely, but not impossible and it’s certainly better than keeping some guy who is already proven failed.

Barron was a 2005 1^st round pick of the Rams, 19^th overall, as a super athletic (6-8 318 4.87) left tackle out of Florida State. However, recent years have shown us that he was overdrafted on measurables, as he never lived up to his expectations. He has 58 starts in his career, but he hasn’t been a good pass protector, especially in the past 2 years, leading the NFL in penalties this year and being among the leaders in sacks allowed in each of the past 2 years. Barron became very dispensible, with 2010 2^nd round pick Roger Saffold coming in to play opposite 2009 1^st round pick Jason Smith (no word yet on who plays where, though I expect Smith to, at least in the beginning of the season, play left tackle). Bobby Carpenter doesn’t fill a need for the Rams. They needed a weakside linebacker and are already pretty set at middle and strong side, which are Carpenter’s two positions, but he’s worth a risk here.

Grade: B

Deal for Cowboys:

Carpenter is a 2006 1^st round pick, 18^th overall, out of Ohio State. However, he never really quite fit the Cowboys 3-4 defense and only managed 96 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his 4 year stint in Dallas. With 2010 2^nd round pick Sean Lee coming in, Carpenter became relatively useless to the Cowboys. Barron has never been anything resembling a dominant offensive tackle in his career, but it’s a new scheme and a new start and there’s a slight chance that he fufills his upside. Barron will likely backup Doug Free at left tackle, and can play some right tackle, but if he progresses well in camp, I could see him winning that job away from the inexperienced Free. I like the general idea of the trade, but I like it more for the Cowboys as they traded someone useless for someone useful, while the Rams pretty much swapped busts who didn’t fill needs.

Grade: A

 

 

After the Titans lost stud linebacker Stephen Tulloch to the Titans for a mere 3.25 million dollars for one year, they signed the much less talented and older Barrett Ruud for more money. However, Tulloch’s deal with the Lions just seems so fishy, I find it hard to believe the Titans didn’t offer much more money. I’m guessing Tulloch signed in Detroit just because he wanted to play for Jim Schwartz again. It’s the only explanation. That said, this is not a bad move to sign Tulloch’s replacement for relatively cheap.

Grade: B

 

 

Debate the Ravens’ offseason possibilities in The Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

The Baltimore Ravens’ offense has a chance to be one of their best this decade. They haven’t really had a true elite franchise quarterback in a long time, but Joe Flacco has put together two very solid years in his first two seasons as a pro, and with the additions of Anquan Boldin, Donte Stallworth, Ed Dickson, and Dennis Pitta to the receiving corps, he looks poised to break out this year and become, at the least, a top 15, if not top 10 or 12, NFL quarterback. Their running game with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and LeRon McClain will once again be one of the best in the league.

Actually, the unit with the most questions this year may be their defense. How will Ed Reed do coming off of an injury plagued season? Is this the year Ray Lewis finally shows his age? How will Terrell Suggs do coming off of a bad year? Will he be able to give their pass rush the spark it needs? All in all, I think this should be one of the best teams in the NFL again this year and they will probably play better than the 9-7 they were last year, with their offseason additions, and the situation going on with Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension in Pittsburgh.

Projection: 10-6 1st in AFC South 

Power Ranking: 9

Last season: 9-7

Grade:

#43 RLB Sergio Kindle (Texas)

They did take Paul Kruger in the 2^nd last year, but Kindle will really help them to push Terrell Suggs, who looked pretty bad last year after signing a big contract. He won’t be counted on to help right away, but he has more upside than any other rush linebacker in this draft class. If everything works out, they could always trade Suggs, and start Kruger and Kindle, with Jarrett Johnson as a nickel guy.

Grade: A-

#57 NT Terrence Cody (Alabama)

Cody was a great value at this point. The Ravens don’t have a true run stopping nose tackle like Cody. They have guys like Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg, but Cody is unlike anything they have. He probably won’t play more than half of their snaps, but he won’t have to do make a Cody sized impact and he provides more much needed youth on their defensive line. Also, the Ravens have a lot of veteran leaders on their squad so if anyone can bring the most out of him and him keep in shape, this team can.

Grade: A

#70 TE Ed Dickson (Oregon)

The Ravens already got a lot of upgrades on their receiving corps this offseason, but Dickson is an upgrade over Todd Heap and a solid value here in the 3^rd. They quietly have put together one of the best receiving corps in the league. Joe Flacco likes this.

Grade: A-

#114 TE Dennis Pitta (BYU)

A cornerback would have been preferable, but it’s hard to argue with Pitta’s value here. He gives Flacco yet another weapon.

Grade: B

#156 WR David Reed (Utah)

Reed gives them another young receiver. If Derrick Mason retires before his contract is up, Reed could give them an option across from Boldin. Even if not, Reed provides slot depth behind Boldin, Mason, and Stallworth and he’s a solid value here.

Grade: B-

#157 3-4 DE Arthur Jones (Syracuse)

Jones had been slipping down draft boards this season with injury issues, but there’s no reason he should have been available in the late 5^th. He provides good young depth on Baltimore’s veteran defensive line.

Grade: A

#194 OT Ramon Harewood (Morehouse)

I didn’t have him in my top 300, but I can see why they’d take him here. He has huge upside at 6-7 360 and gives them a right tackle if Oher moves to the left side, if Jared Gaither leaves.

Grade: B

Overall:

I really only have one complaint about this draft and that’s that they didn’t get another cornerback, but they drafted so well and so many good players that I can pretty much cast that complaint off and look at their talent. Every single one of their picks filled a need of some sort and had very good value. I think they really made themselves a lot better in the near future and the fear future with this draft.

Grade: A

Key undrafted free agents

RB Curtis Steele (Memphis)

3-4 DE John Fletcher (Wyoming)

Positions of need: 

Wide Receiver:

If you thought the Ravens were bad at receiver this year, wait until next year if they don’t get help. The only receiver currently under contract for 2010 is Donte Stallworth who didn’t play at all last year because of suspension and is sure to be rusty. Most of their receivers are restricted and could be back if wanted back, but no receiver other than Derrick Mason was any good last year and he’s an unrestricted free agent. If he isn’t brought back, they’ll have nothing at the position and even if he is, he will be 36 next season and could retire soon. They need some young depth at the very least and I’d like to see the Ravens take 2 receivers early.

Signed Donte Stallworth, Traded for Anquan Boldin, Drafted David Reed (#156)

Cornerback:

After Lardarius Webb went down last year, the Ravens had to start Chris Carr, their kick returner. I’m guessing they don’t want to have to do that again. Webb is good, but Domonique Foxworth was borderline average last year as QBs posted a 79.3 rating against him last year. They also were one of the most penalized secondaries in the league. They need some depth at the position.

Tight End:

Todd Heap was finally alright this year because he didn’t get hurt, but how long can he keep that up for. The Ravens may want to either upgrade him or simply bring in some depth behind him.

Drafted Ed Dickson (#70), Drafted Dennis Pitta (#114) 

Rush Linebacker:

The Ravens only had 32 sacks last year. I don’t think it’s so much a lack of talent as it is a lack of motivation at the position, especially with Terrell Suggs. After he got his large contract last offseason, he looked complacent this year and only had 4.5 sacks. They need some young depth at be brought in to challenge Suggs and Jarrett Johnson.

Drafted Sergio Kindle (#43) 

Middle Linebacker:

Ray Lewis is getting up there in years while Tavares Gooden is average at best opposite him and there is very little depth behind either. They need to bring some depth in this offseason.

Safety:

I don’t believe Ed Reed when he says he could retire, but Dawan Landry had an awful year last year at strong safety. It isn’t a huge need, but he could be upgraded and if the Ravens, who like taking best available, find a capable safety that they like available to them in the mid rounds, they’ll take him.

Signed Ken Hamlin 

 

Free agents:

QB Troy Smith (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

QB John Beck (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

FB Le’Ron McClain (restricted)- resigned 1 year 2.4 million

FB Charles Ali 

#5 WR Derrick Mason- resigned 2 years 8 million

He’d be rated a lot higher if he wasn’t 36 and didn’t retire for about a week last July. He is the most underrated wide receiver in the league and has been for the entire decade. He has 1000 yards or more in 8 of his last 9 seasons despite playing for the Titans and Ravens, two of the most notoriously conservative teams in the league in terms how much they throw the ball. He has some of the surest hands and in the league and is a phenomenal route runner. He never was much of an athlete, so you don’t have to worry about him losing his speed. He could play at a high level for 2-3 more years, the question is, does he want to?

WR Mark Clayton (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.8 million

WR Kelley Washington (restricted)

WR Demetrius Williams (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

TE Quinn Sypniewski

TE Todd Heap

OT Jared Gaither (restricted)- resigned 1 year 2.4 million

OT Adam Terry (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Colts

OT Tony Moll (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

G Marshal Yanda (restricted)- tendered (2nd)

G Chris Chester (restricted)- resigned 1 year

3-4 DE Dwan Edwards- signed with Bills 4 years 18 million

3-4 DE Justin Bannan- signed with Broncos 5 years

NT Lamar Divens (exclusive rights)

RLB Antawn Barnes (restricted)- tendered (4th)

MLB Jameel McClain (exclusive rights)- resigned

CB Fabian Washington (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.8 million

CB Frank Walker

CB Samari Rolle 

CB Walt Harris 

S Dawan Landry (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

P Sam Koch (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

K Billy Cundiff (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

# refers to unrestricted free agent rank

Offseason moves:

Ravens cut CB Walt Harris 

Ravens trade QB John Beck to Redskins for CB Doug Dutch 

Ravens sign CB Walt Harris

Ravens sign QB Marc Bulger

Ravens sign S Ken Hamlin 

Ravens re-sign FB Le’Ron McClain

Ravens re-sign S Dawan Landry 

Ravens re-sign OT Jared Gaither 

Ravens sign K Shayne Graham 

Ravens re-sign MLB Jameel McClain

Ravens re-sign CB Fabian Washington

Ravens re-sign P Sam Koch

Ravens re-sign WR Mark Clayton 

Ravens announce retirement of CB Samari Rolle 

Ravens waive FB Charles Ali

Ravens re-sign WR Demetrius Williams

Ravens re-sign OT Tony Moll

Ravens re-sign QB Troy Smith

Ravens cut CB Samari Rolle

Ravens re-sign G Chris Chester

Ravens re-sign K Billy Cundiff

Ravens re-sign QB John Beck

Ravens sign 3-4 DE Cory Redding 

Ravens re-sign WR Derrick Mason

Ravens acquire WR Anquan Boldin and 2010 5th-rounder from Cardinals for 2010 3rd-, 4th-rounders

Ravens tender NT Lamar Divens

Ravens tender G Marshal Yanda

Ravens tender WR Mark Clayton

Ravens tender RLB Antwan Barnes

Ravens tender QB Troy Smith

Ravens tender OT Jared Gaither

Ravens tender FB Le’Ron McClain

Ravens tender G Chris Chester

Ravens tender WR Demetrius Williams

Ravens tender CB Fabian Washington

Ravens tender S Dawan Landry

Ravens tender QB John Beck

Ravens tender P Sam Koch

Ravens tender OT Tony Moll

Ravens tender K Billy Cundiff

Ravens cut TE Quinn Sypniewski 

 

By Kevin Harrison

I’m not going to harp too much on the Jets thrashing of the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the season as most of the players on the field will not be playing next week in the playoff rematch against the Colts.

However, there are a few positives I would like to take out of the game:

–         The win gave the Jets 11 wins for just the 4^th time ever in franchise history.

–         Jason Taylor had a sack tying him with Lawrence Taylor and Leslie O’Neal for 8^th place on the all-time list.

–         Nick Folk became just the 3^rd kicker in Jets history with at least 30 field goals.

–         Joe McKnight, in his first game starting for a resting LT and Shonn Green, rushed for 158 yards.

–         Marquice Cole, filling in for our injured secondary, came up with two interceptions.

–         The defense pitched a shutout with the Bills only points coming off an interception.

–         Mark Brunell proved that he could be a decent backup in the playoffs if god-forbid that Sanchez goes down.

–         We were able to rest a lot of starters in preparation for next week’s playoff game with Sanchez able to give his shoulder an extra week to heal.

–         A solid win in the final week gives this team some much needed momentum.

–         Even though this has NOTHING to do with the game, the Giants are out of the playoffs giving the area only the Green and White to focus on.

But the regular season is now over and the Jets are the #6 seed and have a long road ahead.  For this team to accomplish their goals, they will have to beat Manning, and then Brady, and then Roethlisberger all on the road.  Hey, stranger things have happened and in this strange season, you just never know.

http://khbirdmantalkingjets.blogspot.com/

Go back to Jets Fan Spot

By Kevin Harrison

The heart attack Jets were at it again this past Sunday against a Pittsburgh Steelers team they have not beaten on the road in franchise history.

It’s mostly the offense giving the Jets the need to run for your bottle of Tums but this time, instead of a miracle comeback from the offense, we had to sweat it out watching our defense let the opposition walk down the field for a potential game winning touchdown. 

There was just two seconds left after the Jets watched the Steelers march down the field.  The defense was sickening most of the game allowing a million third down conversions including a disgusting third and 24 on that last drive of the game.   This team is in dire need of a pass rush.  The opposition’s quarterback has days to stay in the pocket to find a receiver and it seems like on third down, that receiver was mostly found.  And what was more concerning was that our punter kept on pinning the Steelers deep in their own end and the defense would play soft.  It was almost like we would go into a prevent defense for chunks of the game.

I even thought the defense came up big when the Jets had a three point lead and Weatherford pinned the Steelers deep and we followed it up with a safety to go up by five.  However, our offense decided it was best to stop the clock with a bad throw on third down giving the ball back to the Steelers again deep in their own end on another brilliant punt.  However, finally, on that last play, we stopped them.  Game over.  Phewwwww.  The losing streak is over.  We finally beat a team with a winning record.  We beat them on the road.  We ended the TD scoring drought.  And, we put ourselves in a great position to make the post season now with a 10-4 record with two games to play and a two game lead on the next closest Wild Card teams.

Earlier in the game, Sanchez broke the Jets touchdown streak with a great handoff fake and took it into the end-zone untouched.  And that was on a 4^th down which was huge. It also showed that this team was able to come back as they were down 17-10 at that point.

The game started off better than anyone could have imagined with Brad Smith taking the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead. 

Despite some of Brian Schottenheimer’s questionable calls, the offense did do some things better against one of the better defenses in the league.  What was most impressive was that the Jets were able to gain 106 yards on the ground against a defense that only allows 60 yards per game.  So, the Ground and Pound, despite ugly at times, was working.

Sanchez had a decent game despite being on the road in cold and snowy conditions going 19 for 29 for 170 yards and no INTs for the first time in the past 19 games.  He was helped out greatly by Braylon Edwards hauling in eight catches for 100 yards and made some key third down grabs. Santonio Holmes, in his return to Pittsburgh, also grabbed six catches and if it weren’t for a holding penalty, he should have had seven catches which would have put the Jets in a great position to go up two scores.

The Defense had its moments but one of the biggest was a Jason Taylor tackle in the end-zone for a safety.  Revis had a good game despite his other hamstring acting up earlier in the week.  However, we couldn’t stop this team on third down.  There were way too many third and longs that we let them convert.

This was a true team effort especially coming off the week we had after two straight losses and then the “Trip Gate” incident.  We are back.  We need to ride this wave.  1986’s collapse is not happening.  This victory squished that thought.  This is the time where you need to go on a role.  We faced adversity in the eye and didn’t disappoint this time.  Let’s hope this is the first step in the right direction; a direction that ends in Dallas.

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Hey, you know that whole Brett Favre retiring thing. Turns out it was pretty much a hoax. Even though no one in the media heard it straight from his mouth that he was retiring, the entire world went into a panic and assumed he was retiring because of some alleged text messages. I did update my site when this happened, because I felt I had no other choice. I don’t want people who read my site thinking it was still ok to draft Brett Favre early, with there being a good chance he was retired, or that Sidney Rice was still a top 5 receiver, even though Favre could very well have been retiring. However, now that we have heard it from Favre’s mouth that he will play if healthy, I’ve got to chance everything back. Oh, and if Favre actually does retire, he is officially the biggest douche bag of the year over Tiger Woods and LeBron James. Every time I update my site for Favre it takes about an hour and a half, with my Power Rankings, season predictions NFL Mock Draft, and Fantasy content. So until further notice, everyone regains their fantasy ranking from before the retirement that wasn’t, except for…

QB Brett Favre UP

Before the retirement that wasn’t, I had Brett Favre as my 7^th rated quarterback because I think he will produce the 7^th most fantasy points for a quarterback this year and I was sure he’d come back. However, though I still think he will produce the 7^th most fantasy points for a quarterback if he plays, there is still a slight chance he doesn’t. I have decided I’d rather have Philip Rivers, Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, and Joe Flacco before Favre, just because I like to know that I’m getting a sure thing and those 4 guys really aren’t going to be that much worse than Favre this year. So Favre is back up, just not all the way back up.