Ok folks, as always, here are the Ten random thoughts that popped into my head while watching this week’s NFL games…

Number 10

Well, it looks like all talk of the Titans being finished for this year is over. Or is it? The Titans finally got off the “schniede” this week, winning a squeaker over the Tampa Bay Bucs, and needing overtime to do so. So everything is fine now with the Titans right? Well, one victory does not a contender make. And a 3pt overtime win over the usually offensively inept Bucs makes me think that all is not well with respect to the Titans. A couple of positives for the Titans though, they finally gave Eddie George his normal workload with 29 carries, and Steve McNair looked healthy and threw the ball downfield a few times! (I know, I am as shocked as you are) Speaking of throwing the ball, how about Brad Johnson finally getting his first and second TD passes of the season against that banged up Titans secondary? Also, I think Chris Berman put it best when he talked about Brad Johnson’s 50 passing attempts being very “UN-Buc-like”.

I can’t be too hard on the Titans though, they look like they are starting to come around after that very slow start, where injuries and uninspired play cost them a couple of games. Their schedule is tough though, so to think that they still have a good chance at making the playoffs, with a 1-3 record, may be just a little out there. But if there is a coach I would not bet against, it would be Jeff Fisher.

Number 9

If I hear the term “New Monsters of the Midway” one more time, I think I’ll have to “SuperBowl Shuffle” right into the bathroom to puke my guts out. I give the Bears credit for being at 3-1 at this point in the season, but with wins over Arizona, Atlanta and Minnesota, I think it is just a little premature to be calling these guys “Monsters” (the three teams they have defeated have a combined record of 4-9). Besides, isn’t that term supposed to be reserved for the next great Bears defensive team? The last one was in 1985, and since then, they have yet to do anything to warrant such lofty praise. But I will say this, Brian Urlacher definitely fits that mold of the Chicago middle linebacker, and if they can all continue to live up to this guy’s great talent, then we can call them monsters.

9A

I just love how some players just “fit” with teams, don’t you? Urlacher would look awfully weird in a Bengals uniform, don’t you think? (then again, everyone looks weird in those ugly things) Just as I said about Urlacher, it is amazing how some players just seem to fit with the teams they play on. But I wonder if that is because of the player, or because of the team and its history? Well, I think it’s a little of both. For example, Joe Montana’s grace and style just fit with the classy organization that is the 49ers, Troy Aikman with his golden locks and boyish looks just fit with the Dallas Cowboys, Jerome Bettis with his big bruising running style just fits with the way the Steelers have always been. I find this fascinating, and I hope I am not the only one.

Number 8

Will the real San Diego Chargers please step forward? Are you the team who raced out to a 3-0 start behind Flutie’s magic, Tomlinson’s running ability and your great defense? Or are you the team who has dropped 2 straight, to Cleveland and New England, and looked very average in both games? I think people are jumping off that Charger bandwagon like it was the sinking Titanic or something, but I’ll tell you what, don’t count out the “little mullet man from the CFL” just yet. They have lost a couple of tough games, but Flutie will find them a way to win, you just watch.

How about Michigan alum Tom Brady? What has Brady done? Well, besides leading the Patsies to two victories in the absence of the 100 million dollar man, not much. My favorite sports columnist (besides myself, of course) is a guy by the name Bill Simmons, he writes for ESPN.com, and often speaks of something he calls the “Ewing Theory”, where a team’s huge star goes down with injury or something and the team suddenly starts performing better than they did with the huge star. Believe me, this is the most brilliant theory to come along since that “relativity” thing, and it is going to make Bill famous. If you go to ESPN.com and check it out, you will see where I am coming from, and see how true it is. What is happening with the Patriots right now, is a glaring example of the “Ewing Theory”, and I wonder what will happen when Bledsoe heals up and gets back into the game.

Number 7

I think Minnesota is a bad football team, bottom line. Many of you know my feelings about those Vikings but, in all seriousness, I think they are doing a great job of underachieving this season. Sure, they beat the Lions on Sunday, but by how much? 5pts? Hardly a convincing win, in my books (like the Rams on MNF). Also, the Lions damn near stole this game away from the Vikes, by reeling off 13 4th quarter points. I wish the Lions would have won this game, not because of my hatred for the Vikings, but for the sake of Marty and Matt. Why, you ask? Well, I think that old Mr. Ford is getting a little impatient with his new GM and coach, and I hope they can stay on long enough to get this thing turned around, because I think Marty can be a great coach in this league, ditto for Matt.

Anyway, back to the Vikings. I think the Vikings are about two more devastating losses away from self-destructing, and with games against Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Philly and the Giants lined up next, we could see that self destruction within a month. I can see it now, their lack of a running game causes more turmoil in the offensive huddle, and Culpepper and Moss get into in on the sidelines, engaging in a Deion Sanders – Andre Rison type slapping match. Moss is released from hospital 4 days later.

Seriously, I think the Vikings could dive deep into the tank if they pull up “O-fer” in those 4 games, but with their offensive style (all passing, occaisional Culpepper scrambles), the have a chance to split those games and get their season back on track, although I hope they don’t.

7A

I mentioned Bill Simmons’ “Ewing Theory” in number 8, and now I have a theory of my own. Granted this is a well known phenomenon, but it warrants mentioning in the Top Ten. I’ll call it, the “Fat Cat Theory”. What is it? It is the theory that the majority of big name players in most sports will stink (either individually or with their team), the year after they sign a HUGE contract. Here are a few examples:

Jake Plummer – He signed a huge deal after leading the Cards to the playoffs, and since then, he has played like the dog. His TD to INT ratio has been terrible, and his Win / Loss ration has been worse. It got so bad, that people were even starting to talk about giving up on Jake the Snake.

Alex Rodriguez – After signing the largest contract in major sports history, he played on a team that was essentially eliminated from the baseball playoffs by the time Barry Bonds had 30 homers. Granted, his personal stats were great, but his team tanked after getting him.

Too many NBA players to name – John “Contract” Koncak, Derrick Coleman, Jim Jackson, Brian Grant, Michael Stewart, or Ike Austin, just take your pick of NBA big contract busts.

Randy Moss – He is the player most in danger of joining this group and entering the “Fat Cat Theory”. He signed a big contract this season, with that HUGE signing bonus, and now his stats are pale in comparison to previous years, plus, his team stinks. I mean, he doesn’t even lead his own team in receptions! Look out for this one.

I don’t know if you agree with me on my selections for this theory, but if you have some of your own or have a different take on this one, just drop me an email (see the link below) and we can iron out the details.

ANYWAY! Back to the Top Ten, sheesh… I always get sidetracked like this.

Number 6

How about that Jets upset over the Dolphins? Well, I’m not even sure you can call this an upset, because, the Jets have now beaten the Dolphins 7 straight times! Any games coming up between these two, has to have that factored in. But I don’t think the streak can go on much longer than 7, just trust me on this one. Here is a thought, how does one classify streaks like this? I mean, OK, they have won 7 straight, but say the Dolphins win the next one, we will hear this, “The Dolphins snap a 7 game losing streak vs. the Jets!”. But when the two teams match up again, you will hear “The Jets have won 7 of the last 8 against the Dolphins”. Don’t you think that’s weird? Here is another example, in that same match up, say the Dolphins snap the streak, but then the Jets win the next three, you will hear “The Jets have dominated the Dolphins, winning 10 of the last 11 match ups”. Ok fine, but why don’t they say “after the Dolphins snapped a 7 game losing streak against the Jets, the Jets got back on track and won the next three”. You know what those “experts” are REALLY saying here? Well, here it is, as translated for you, by yours truly:

“Ok, the Jets have won 10 of the last 11, including a 7 game streak only 4 games ago, but this factor doesn’t really matter because the ‘Any Given Sunday” streak has gone on for years. Plus, the Dolphins owned a winning streak of their own only three games ago, and although it was only one in a row, it was a streak. SO! What we are basically trying to say here is…. We don’t know what the hell is gonna happen today, we are just reading these random, obscure stats to sound smart and make your “Pro-Line” picks more interesting! Ok?”

There you have it.

Another thing on the Dolphins / Jets game, I think I would love to have Curtis Martin on my team. He is not the fastest, but he is not the slowest either, and he is super strong, and above all, is consistently great. If you give him 20-25 carries, he will get you 100yds, that is almost automatic. I like that guy’s workman-like effort, and the fact that he comes to the park every single Sunday to play, and play well.

OK! What the hell number am I on again? Oh yeah, 5!

Number 5

I think Pittsburgh has figured things out there in Steeltown. Give the ball to Jerome Bettis, don’t let Kordell Stewart screw things up, and play great defense. Easy enough right? Well, not if you have Kordell on your team. Bettis gained 100yds again this week, as the Steelers rolled to victory over the Chiefs (at Arrowhead!). The Steelers are looking good right now, and now that Kordell has thrown his first TD pass of the year, things will only get better, provided they don’t stray away from what they have been doing.

Has Arrowhead lost a bit of its mystique? It looks like it. That place used to be a place where you just didn’t win games, because of the good Chiefs teams and their loud, rowdy, boisterous fans. Well, at least the fans are still there.

Number 4

What a barnburner that MNF game was! Filled with highlights, this game came down to a last second field goal by Dallas to win this exciting game by a score of 9-7. Please note the sarcasm. The battle of the winless teams went down to the last seconds, and how fitting an end was that? The two teams that most consider the worst in the league, played on par with each other for the entire game.

It was nice to see Emmitt Smith get over 100yds though, and what’s better is to see Anthony Wright get his first win as a starter. I said this last week, I really hope Dallas gets it right and leaves Wright as their starter, because he gives them the best chance to win, and I am pretty sure that is what the NFL is all about, winning. If you are looking for the goat of the week, look no further than Stephen Davis, and his late game fumble that essentially cost Washington the game. Davis gained 99yds last night, and had he not fumbled, we would have been talking about him finally breaking through, gaining 100yds, and leading the Redskins to victory. But, it looks like it is gonna be one of those years for the Redskins, which cant be good for old Marty Schott’s job security. As for Dallas, is this game going to be a turning point in their season? Well, with Arizona coming in nest week, then at the Giants and Falcons the weeks after, it remains to be seen. If Dallas can do two things, this season will be salvaged. First they have to get at least a split in their next four games (which is entirely possible), and second, they have to keep Ryan Leaf off the field.

Number 3

The Rams won a gutsy one over the Giants on Sunday, 15-14. This win could prove to be costly though, because of the well known knee injury to Marshall Faulk, which took him out of the game in the 3rd quarter. Kurt Warner was beat up all day by the Giants, in particular, Michael Strahan, and Warner failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in a long time. But Warner officially squashed all the talk about him not being able to take a hit, or him being concussion prone, with his Favre-like toughness in that game.

Is it just me? Or can the Giants really play defense? They held this high flying group down, and almost won the game. I think the Giants are the new kings of making teams play ugly, tough football, stealing that crown from the Titans. But the Rams are 5-0 and look like the class of the NFC, and of the NFL, being the only undefeated team left. Hey, ’72 Dolphins, put away those champagne glasses for another week!

Number 2

Brett Favre played a stellar game on Sunday, and the Packers’ offense actually manhandled that great Ravens defense, winning handily at Lambeau Field. I was really impressed by the Packers, and that made me think that their loss to the Bucs, was just a bump in the road towards the NFC Central crown. I wonder where the Ravens will go from here, as they sit at 3-2 now, and are at an obvious crossroads, their next four games are all against divisional opponents, and a loss or two for them could cause serious trouble for their repeat title run.

Number 1

The Niners are at 4-1, and have swept the Falcons in their divisional season series. Things are great for this Niner fan. What a game that was! After the Niners went up 24-23 in the 4th quarter, I thought, “Ok, just hold em, and we can control the ball and run out the clock”. But then Chandler went to Finneran, on an out, and Finneran, after a good move to the outside, went 50yds down the sideline to give the Falcons the lead. I was devastated. I was shocked. I was heartbroken.

But then Terrel Owens took over the game, literally. He scored the game tying TD late in the game, on a bullet from Garcia, and then scored an electrifying game winner in overtime, scampering 52yds for a TD. He amazed me with this speed and strength, and once again re-affirmed in me that he is the best receiver in football today. We’ll just put that whole Rams game case of the “dropsies” thing behinds us, ok?

Until next time…