Eagles v. Jets is like Man v. Nature

The Philadelphia Eagles playing the New York Jets at home was like an episode of “Man vs. Nature.”  Man is smart, but you know what happens every time he truly encounters nature?  A natural disaster.

That is exactly what happened yesterday.  The Jets’ came flying in to The Linc with their man-made engines and wings hoping to improve their playoff chances.  Unfortunately, for Jets fans the speed and power of Rex Ryan’s team was simply no match for what nature unleashed on the gridiron in South Philadelphia. 

The Eagles with its natural wings spanning 90 inches soared high and controlled both sides of the ball.  On defense, fumbles and interceptions led to 21 points putting Philadelphia up 28 – 0 in the second quarter.  Like an American Bald Eagle, Michael Vick’s vision of the field was sharp.  He made good decisions on passing and running the ball.  He rushed and scored one touchdown by stretching into the end zone.

Man attempted a valiant attempt to come back, but after halftime it was over.  There was nothing the Jets could do to stop the Eagles.  They kept the Jets offense off of the field and ran up the score.  At the end it was all nature and the Eagles wiped out the Jets 45 – 19.  Yes, a natural disaster. 

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

NFC East is consistently inconsistent

After free agency, before the preseason began, the Philadelphia Eagles leading the NFC East was unquestionable.  Michael Vick was back.  He was healthy and had a year under his belt as a NFL starter again.  On defense, Philadelphia signed the most sought after corner back, NnamdiAsomugha.  This was supposed to be the recipe for success.  The result does not taste too sweet to Eagles’ fans.  It is a very sour 4 – 6 record that has Philly in third place in the NFC.

The bright side for Philadelphia is that they are in the NFC East.  No one in that division has played well consistently this season.   Just when it looked like the Giants were going to pull away and take the lead, they fall to the Philadelphia Eagles.  This puts them on a two-game losing streak.  They are tied with Dallas (Cowboys) for the top spot in the division at 6 – 4.  Dallas is the opposite of New York.  They are on a three-game winning streak.  The teams will play on December 11 at Cowboys Stadium.

The Eagles could still reach the playoffs.  It is amazing that a team that has only won four games going into Week 12 is still in the hunt to win their division.  But, considering the performance from the other teams in the division, it is possible.  They beat the Giants and the Cowboys.  Last year the Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs with just a 8 - 8 record.

With Vick’s return uncertain, I don’t think that the Eagles are going to win their remainig games this season.  I think that the NFC East will come down to Dallas and New York.  In addition to their meeting next month, they will play each other the final week of the regular season in New York.

The final team in the NFC East is the Washington Redskins.  All of the inconsistency in the division is not going to help them.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Half-season review of my Super Bowl picks

After tonight’s Monday Night Football game each team in the NFL will have played at least eight games.  The regular season is 17 weeks long.  Each team plays 16 weeks and has one week without a game called a “bye week.”  So, we are officially halfway through the regular season.   Since we are at the middle of the season, I thought that I would take a look at my Super Bowl picks and see how they are doing.

I selected the New York Jets to win the AFC.  With 10 starters returning, I thought that defense would lead them out of the regular season and past the tough quarterbacks in the AFC.  After Week 2, things looked gloom for the Jets.  They went three consecutive weeks without a victory; suffering losses to the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.  At the moment, the Jets are tied with the Patriots and Buffalo Bills for first in the AFC East.  They beat the Bills yesterday and have to play them again in three weeks.  Next Sunday they have a big game against New England.  This is a must win because they lost to them earlier this year.  The Jets can still win their division.  To accomplish that and get to the Super Bowl, Mark Sanchez needs to be accurate and the defense has to dominate.

For the NFC, I thought that the Philadelphia Eagles would run away with the conference championship.  It has been a disappointing first half.  After winning their season opener, they did not win other game until Week 6.  The offense has looked lackluster and the defense has appeared confused.  Things are now starting to click for the Eagles.  Star cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha is adjusting to his role and had a key interception against the Dallas Cowboys last week.  The Eagles are in the inconsistent NFC East.  There is not a clear leader.  Philadelphia has only won three games, but a win tonight will put them at a tie for second in the NFC East.  For Philadelphia to get passed the undefeated Green Bay Packers, they need Michael Vick healthy and the defense focused. 

It has been a rocky road for my picks, but I am going to stay with them.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Comeback victories expose weaknesses

Yesterday a couple of games that began as yawners, ended up dramatic.  The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles both dominated their opponents the first half of the game.  Each of them was leading by 17 points entering the second half. They literally put me to sleep. 

I woke up and everything changed.  The fourth quarters were so good, I sat in my bed starving and fighting a cold because I had to watch the outcomes of both of these games.  I am still amazed at how they squandered their huge leads and lost.  To make it worse they were both playing at home.

In Dallas, Cowboys Stadium welcomed the Detroit Lions.  At first, Cowboys Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan was feeling proud about his team completely stopping Lions QB Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson.  They prevented the duo from scoring the first three quarters of the game.  Detroit’s defense woke up in the third quarter; got two pick sixes (an interception returned for a touchdown) and ignited their teammates on offense.  In the last quarter, Stafford, who was playing in his hometown connected with Johnson twice for touchdowns.  The Lions won 34 – 30.  They go back to Motown 4 – 0 tied for first in the NFC North.

The  Philadelphia Eagles hosted the San Francisco 49ers at  Lincoln Financial Field.  Eagles QB Michael Vick, had an unbelievable game.  He had a career-high 416 passing yards and coupled it with 75 rushing yards.  Eagles defense and specials teams wasted it all.  Specials teams missed two field goals less than 40 yards and the 49ers took advantage of an Eagles defense that still has not harmonized.  After being down 23 – 3 in the third quarter, the 49ers fought back and won 24 – 23.  They head back to the West Coast at the top of the NFC West alone with a record of 3 – 1.  Meanwhile the Eagles still have defense problems and have only won one game this season.  

There is a saying that the game is won in the fourth quarter.  This was certainly true for the Lions and 49ers yesterday.  Hopefully, the Cowboys and the Eagles got the message that the game does not end at half-time. 

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

QBs in the pocket

Eagles QB Michael Vick was injured for the second week in a row.  Last week it was a concussion; yesterday he broke his right hand.  (Luckily, it was not his throwing hand.)  The injuries have led to a lot of discussion about the Eagles offensive line, the amount of time Vick spends in the pocket and what happens when he leaves the pocket.  I received several questions about what the pocket is.

I’ll explain.

The pocket is an imaginary rectangle on the offensive side of the ball between the left and right offensive tackles and back behind the quarterback.  The offensive line works to prevent the opposing defense from getting to the quarterback, so he can throw the ball.  When the offensive line is not successful in doing this, the quarterback will attempt to avoid being sacked.  Many times he will scramble, or run out of the pocket.  If he throws the ball to an area on the field where there is not an eligible receiver, the offense will be penalized for intentional grounding.  This also applies if it was thrown to an eligible receiver who could not realistically catch the ball.  An eligible receiver is a wide receiver, running back or tight end.

Michael Vick is the best in the league at scrambling and escaping defenses.  He led the league last year in number first downs achieved by scrambling with 23.  Now you should be able to notice quarterbacks who move out of the pocket like Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and those who stay in the pocket like Ben Roethlisberger.

Tonight MNF features a huge, divisional rival.  The Washington Redskins are visiting the Dallas Cowboys.  I’ll be at the game!  Follow me on twitter @heelsnhelmets to know what is going on at Cowboys Stadium.  The game kicks off at 8:30 pm on ESPN. 

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Destination: Super Bowl XLVI

The NFL 2011 Season is finally here!  The preseason is over.  Now every down counts.  Each inch is crucial.  It’s time to back up all of the trash talking.  All eyes are focused on Indianapolis, Indiana, the host of Super Bowl XLVI.  Who will get there?  Who will hoist up The Lombardi Trophy?

The AFC has their usual team leaders who will contend for the conference championship.  New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets will all make the playoffs again.  The Indianapolis Colts is not on this list because I think Colts QB, Peyton Manning’s neck injury will cause their offense to suffer.  I think that the Jets will make it back to the AFC Championship for the third year in a row and win it this time.  The offense will start slow.  QB, Mark Sanchez still has Santonio Holmes, but the other receivers are older and new to the team.  Once wide receivers Plaxico Burress (34 years old) and Derrick Mason (37 years old) get comfortable, their experience will help the offense.  The star unit is the defense.  The Jets returned 10 of their starters on defense.  These players know the defense and what needs to be done to take down Tom Brady (Patriots QB) and Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers QB).  Last year Jets cornerback, Darrelle Revis was only productive half of the season.  This year he prepared with his team during training camp and will start the season healthy.

The NFC is going to be really competitive.  The last two Super Bowl winners came from this conference.   The Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints were the champions in 2011 and 2010 respectively.  Both of these teams will compete for the NFC Championship, but I think that the Philadelphia Eagles will win the conference title.  The Eagles are good on both sides of the ball.  The offense is led by QB Michael Vick.  Everyone is concerned about the Eagles offensive line.  It is an issue because Vick needs to be protected to stay healthy, but I don’t think that it will stop him from having a great season.  On defense, the Eagles have the best secondary, not just in the conference, but the NFL.  Eagles cornerbacks, Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel will throw a wrench in every team’s passing game.

I picked teams with powerful defenses to go to the Super Bowl.  The Jets have continuity and the Eagles have talent and speed.   I am predicting the Eagles to win Super Bowl XLVI.  This isn’t because of the dream team chatter.  Here are three reasons why.

1.     Defense was a problem for the Eagles last year and they clearly solved it. 

2.     Michael Vick is not only back; he is focused.  After the first preseason game, he commented, "I went back and looked at film by myself in the offseason and a majority of the time last year Brent was open and I failed to throw to him because I was focused on DeSean and Jeremy."  

3.     The Eagles swooped in out of nowhere and signed Asomugha.  They have some other tricks up their sleeves.

The season kicks off this Thursday at 8:30 pm when the Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints.  Some people think that this is a preview of the NFC Championship game.  I think we will see one of the teams that will face Philadelphia in that game.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Philadelphia Eagles go hard in free agency

Philadelphia doesn’t have the glam, beauty, style, nightlife, or weather that South Beach has, but it had enough to get five pro-bowlers to take their talents to The City of Brotherly Love.  Count them.  Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Vince Young and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are all Philadelphia Eagles.  The fact that all of these guys are defensive players except Vince shows that the Eagles are serious about getting to Super Bowl XLVI.

Last year the Eagles offense led by starting quarterback Michael Vick, carried the team.  They made it to the playoffs because of offense.  Signing Nnamdi, the most coveted cornerback in free agency, brings their defense up to the level of their offense.  If they had a corner like Nnamdi last year, the 3 touchdown passes that Aaron Rodgers got in the NFC Wild-Card game would be a different story. 

What the Eagles did in just three days to upgrade their defense is very impressive.   But, I also like the preparation at the quarterback position.  This is the most important position on the team.  After last season, the Eagles know all too well that it is imperative to have depth at this position.  Getting Vince Young was a great move because he’ll learn from a guy (Michael Vick) who has a similar style.  As a young veteran, he has some experience starting.  If anything happens to Vick, Young should be able to fill in seamlessly.

The Eagles said that they were going to be aggressive in free agency.  That was an understatement.  They have not done anything major on offense, but they needed to focus on defense.  And, remember defense wins championships.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Michael Vick’s past still haunting him

The NFL Network has been counting down the Top 100 players of the NFL 2010 Season voted by current players.  Yesterday, they revealed the 20^th player down to the 11^th player.  I was amazed to see Michael Vick at #20.  Number 20 is not justified for a guy who was not supposed to start and ended up not only starting, but also carrying his team to the playoffs. 

I’m not disturbed by Vick’s placement among his counterparts at the quarterback position.  Landing at #20 puts him in the Top 5 among quarterbacks.  Aaron Rodgers is#11.  Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are sure to be unveiled in the Top 10.  All of these guys are Super Bowl champions.  For some reason even though football is a team sport, a player’s skill level gains more respect with a championship.  So, it is to be expected that they would rank higher than Vick.

What is alarming to me is that when you take the quarterbacks out, there are 15 other players who are ranked higher than Michael Vick.  I have respect for all positions, but it isn’t a secret that the NFL is a quarterback driven league.  So how does a defensive end on a team that is ranked #23 in total defense rank higher than Michael Vick?  DeMarcus Ware is a beast.  He had 80 sacks, but the Dallas Cowboys didn’t even make the playoffs. 

I believe the ghost of Michael Vick’s past reared his head once again.  It is the reason that after a remarkable season he was not the league’s MVP, was runner up in the Madden 2011 cover contest and is now #20 on the NFL’s Top 100.   Michael Vick saved his team.  The same can’t be said for many of the guys in front of him.

The final 10 players will be presented on Sunday on the NFL Network at 8 p.m.  EST. Who do you think will be #1?

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Locked-out and still trying to work

Due to the lockout, NFL players cannot use their team’s trainers or facilities to work out.  This isn’t stopping palyers from getting together and planning their own workouts.  Mark Sanchez invited his teammates to Southern California to work out.  Michael Vick has summoned the Eagles to Philadelphia for practice.  Even the newest NFL players who were just drafted a couple of weeks ago are preparing.  The pending rookies do not have contracts and are prohibited from wearing official team gear.  Most of them do not have the teams’ playbook.  This is not stopping them from selecting trainers and working out.  They want to be ready when the 2011 season starts. IF it starts.

It’s great that NFL players are conditioning on their own and planning small practices with other teammates.  It is helpful for quarterbacks to connect with their wide receivers and throw the ball.  However, it does not replace OTAs (organized team activities) or minicamps.  Despite the players’ efforts to prepare, without the direction of a coach, equipment and support from the conditioning staff, teams will be behind the mark when the labor issues are finally settled.  As Eagles running back, LeSean McCoy said, "It's tough when you don't have a facility to go to.” 

Teams like the San Francisco 49ers who have a new head coach, Jim Harbaugh, are at a strong disadvantage preparing for the season.  Teams such as the Carolina Panthers who drafted players with the expectation that they would make an immediate contribution will also have difficulty. 

Carolina used the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft to select Auburn quarterback, Cam Newton.   Cam was drafted on the first day of the draft during the four days that the lockout was lifted.  He was able to go into the Panthers offices the following day.  Players selected after the first round did not have this opportunity.   At least Cam got his playbook.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets®

Only in the NFL

The unexpected happens in the NFL, especially in December.  Teams headed to the playoffs lose to horrible teams.  Rookies step up.  Good teams look vulnerable.  It all makes the end of the season very interesting.   Yesterday was filled with some great matchups!  

Favorites from NFL Week 15

Detroit Lions got their fourth win of this season and their first win on the road since 2007.  With a record of 3 – 10, the Lions went down to Florida and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a playoff contender, 23 – 20 in overtime.  They did this with their third string quarterback, Drew Stanton.  Lions fan should be excited about where they will be next year with a healthy Matthew Stafford.

New York Jets bounced back after losing two games in a row and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 22 -17.  Pittsburgh attempted a come back, but it was unsuccessful.  After being humiliated by the New England Patriots and Miami Heat, the Jets got their first win in December and held on to the Wild-Card playoff spot.

Baltimore Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints, 30 -24 at home.  The defending Super Bowl champs had not lost a game since October.   Baltimore’s offense and defense was on point.  Ray Rice led the offense with 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense limited the Saints to just 27 rushing yards.  Both teams are fighting to keep a Wild-Card playoff spot.

Redskins fans had been boasting a better record and a victory over their division rival, Dallas Cowboys.  All of that is over now.  While the Redskins experimented with benching quarterback, Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman, the Cowboys are ending strong.  Dallas led the entire game.  Washington fought back but missed a field goal to tie the game.  Dallas won, 33 – 30.  The Cowboys and Redskins are tied for third place in the NFC East at 5-9.

While Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Washington failed at coming back, but quarterback Michael Vick and the Eagles got it done.  Philadelphia was trailing the New York Giants by 14 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Vick passed, ran and scored a touchdown to get the Eagles 28 points in the final quarter of the game!  This is why he is leading Pro Bowl voting.  Philadelphia won, 38 – 31.

Rookie Debut

Quarterback Tim Tebow made his first start in the NFL.  He had 138 passing yards, 78 rushing yards and a touchdown.  It was a good start to his NFL career, but not enough for the Denver Broncos to beat the Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders won, 39 -23.

Are you ready for some football?

Tonight MNF is going to cold Minnesota, but not to the Metrodome.  The Chicago Bears will play the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota football team.  This is the result of Metrodome collapsing last Sunday.  Officials ruled that it could not be repaired in time, the Bears petitioned the NFL to disallow the game at TCF Bank, but the show is going on.  Outside of the Brett Favre drama, this game is centered on Chicago keeping its playoffs hopes alive.  Right now Chicago is leading the NFC North, 9-4; but the Green Bay Packers are right behind them.  They meet for the final game of the season.  I think that Chicago will keep it together, while the Vikings still figure out who they are after a crazy season.  MNF kicks off at 8:30 pm on ESPN.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets®

The NFL FINALLY Got The Memo!

Ladies, it has been a very long time coming, but the NFL finally heard our plea – WE DON’T NEED PINK JERSEYS!  For years I could not figure out why sports leagues thought that I would spend my money on a big square cut jersey just because it was pink.  What organization tries to attract a specific audience by manufacturing something that they do not want and does not fit?  Furthermore, why would a business push something that is not truly their brand?  (Forgive me my background is in marketing, so I question these things.)  In a meeting about the Detroit Lions Team store, The Director of Retail Sales walked me through the layout of the store and explained the positioning of the ladies apparel to attract women.  The positioning was not the problem; the product was. 

Women never needed pink jerseys or hats.  We just needed them in our sizes and in styles that were flattering.  If you like the Cowboys, you never wanted to rock the star in pink, you wanted it in blue.  If you are like me, you probably had some tricks to represent your team and still look fly.  Mine was going to the little boys’ section.  While it was not a perfect fit, it was not down to my knees and gave me a closer resemblance of a lady. 

I’m happy to say that those days are over!  There is a NFL clothing line with items that actually fit us!  Not sure if it was because the NFL learned that we (ladies) now control 73% of household spending and own 2 out 3 new business.  Maybe it was the 18 million cracks Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential candidacy put in the glass ceiling of the White House.  I don’t know, but I am glad that they FINALLY got the memo!  Check out the NFL’s new clothing line at www.nfl.com/women and tell them that we sent you.  I’m sure you’ll be just as excited as I am!  While you are shopping, I found the hottest boots from Bebe to go with your new swag.  (Oh, they are giving cash back on your purchases.)   Let me know what you get.

College Weekend

The first BCS standing of the season is out.  Who is at the top?  Not a team from the SEC or the Big Ten.  Oklahoma (Big 12) and Oregon (PAC-10) are #1 and #2 respectively.  The Sooners and Ducks can’t get comfortable.  Auburn #4 and LSU #6 are not far behind.  They play each other this weekend.  The winner will be the last undefeated team in the competitive SEC. 

So where are the Ohio State Buckeyes?  After a disappointing loss to Wisconsin, they are at #10 behind Michigan State #7 the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten.  This was a huge loss for the Buckeyes because it gives the advantage to Michigan State.  Ohio State will not play Michigan State this season and the Spartans beat Wisconsin a few weeks ago.  So, if both teams have the same record at the end of the season and tie for the Big Ten title, the edge goes to MSU.  Iowa may disrupt all of that.  They play Ohio State and Michigan State and are undefeated in the conference.

We have to send prayers and well wished to Rutgers defensive tackle, Eric LeGrand.  He suffered a spinal-cord injury in the last quarter of Rutgers win over Army that left him paralyzed below the neck.

NFL Week 6

It was a weekend of returns in the NFL. 

Ben Roethlisberger returned to the game after a 4 game suspension.  The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns, 28 – 10.  The Steelers won without Big Ben and you can expect that they will be even better with him back on the field.

Deion Branch returned to his old team, the New England Patriots, and had his best game since his rookie year as a Patriot in 2002.  His nine catches helped New England win in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens 23 – 20.

Kevin Kolb returned as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, playing for injured Michael Vick .  He looked strong in the Eagles impressive 31 – 17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.  Coach Andy Reid said that Vick was still his starting quarterback and that there was not a QB controversy in Philadelphia, but we have heard that before.

LaDainian Tomlinson continues to return his passes for touchdowns.  (San Diego must be sick seeing his stats.)  LT scored two touchdowns late in the game that pushed the New Yorks Jets on top of the Denver Broncos, 24 -20.  Broncos led most of the game, so some will say that Denver played better.  I picked the Jets to go to the Super Bowl this year, so I say comebacks and clutch time victories are what great teams do.  Let’s Go J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, Jets!

Are you ready for some football?

Monday Night Football goes to Jacksonville tonight.  The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Tennessee Titans.  Both teams have some fast running backs, Titan Chris Johnson and Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew.  They are tied at 3-2 in the close AFC South.  The winner will join Houston and Indiana at 4 – 2.  I am going with Tennessee.  Jacksonville’s defense has allowed over 27 points per game.  I don’t think that this defense will stop Chris Johnson.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Vick is Back!

Week 2 in the NFL gives teams a second chance to impress fans.  Win, and fans believe they were just rusty last week.  Lose, and fans begin questioning when they are going to win.  Before I move into the highlights of the second week, I have to go back to Week 1 and Calvin Johnson’s touchdown. 

Last week, I shared the rule on a player going to the ground with a catch and noted that according to this rule, Johnson’s touchdown was incomplete.  After a reader blasted me for not being the critical thinker he has come to know through my blog, I had to revisit the play and the rule.  I will not say how many times I looked at the replay, but let’s just say if I were given a dollar for each time I reviewed it, we would all be getting Louboutins, heading to Nice and cruising the Mediterranean, ON ME!   

Anyway, after reviewing the play, the catch was a touchdown.  Again, the rule is:

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

I want to point out this part of the rule, “If he loses control of the ball.” Calvin Johnson never lost control of the ball.  He caught the ball with two hands and moved it to one hand, but he still had control of the ball.  (Think of it as a one-hand catch.)  The ball was not rolling around in his hand.  He had a tight grip on the ball and maintained control when his body hit the ground.  As a result, it was a touchdown.

Now on to NFL Week 2.  Some teams had a better second day at school.  Others you can expect are going to start using the old “the dog ate my homework” excuse.  

Becoming a star pupil  - Michael Vick, started as a NFL Quarterback for the first time since December 2006 when he was an Atlanta Falcon.  (He missed the entire 2007 and 2008 seasons because he was incarcerated for his involvement with dog fighting.)  Building on a solid performance last week of over 65% passing completions and 103 rushing yards against Green Bay, the former pro bowler displayed that he has shaken off the dust.  With 284 passing yards, 37 rushing yards, deep passes and quick moves to avoid the defense, he led the Eagles to their first victory of the season in a win over the Detroit Lions.  While Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid says that there is not a controversy over the quarterback position, I expect that Eagles fan will start one if Kevin Kolb struggles next week.  A little secret: the Eagles offensive linemen are quietly hoping for Vick to start as well.  For 11 years they have protected a quarterback who is mobile.  They are not accustomed to holding off the defense for a quarterback to take an entire class period to throw the ball.  Vick fits Philadelphia’s O-line perfectly.

Not meeting expectations – The Cowboys and the Vikings were predicted by many to compete for the Super Bowl.  Now both teams are still hoping to get their first win.  The problem for the Vikings is that Brett Favre was not in training camp and they are in need of wide receivers.  The Cowboys on the other hand, have all of the pieces, but they are not prepared.  Both of their losses were due to tons of mistakes.  Since 1990, only 22 teams that started off 0 – 2 made it to the playoffs.  The New York Giants won the Super Bowl in 2008 after beginning the season 0-2, so there is hope for these teams.  I think Minnesota will see their first win at home against the Lions next week.  Things are looking gloom for the Cowboys.  They play an undefeated Houston team on the road next week and are off the following week.  I see the Cowboys not getting their first win until October.

Sibling rivalry – “Manning Bowl II” was no contest, AT ALL.  Big brother, Peyton, showed little brother, Eli, how to lead an offense and dominate.  Unfortunately, for the younger Manning, his big bro was totally focused on avenging a disappointing loss to Houston that opened the season.  The Giants could not do anything to stop the Colts offense.  It was truly over when the Giants were still scoreless in the 3^rd quarter and the Colts kept Peyton in to continue beating up on his kid brother’s team.  The Colts win it easily, 38 – 14 and Peyton remains undefeated against his brother.

Name off of the chalkboard - The Jets stopped talking and just did their work.  The offense was… an offense.  The line blocked, Mark Sanchez threw the ball, Dustin Keller and Braylon Edwards caught the ball and LaDainian Tomlinson ran the ball.  See how productive a unit can be when everyone just does there job?  Their defense limited Tom Brady to just 2 touchdowns.  One of those was an awesome catch by Randy Moss, but it was not enough.  Jets win it 28 – 14 at home.

On the college gridiron, another team from the state of Michigan entered the top 25 after beating Notre Dame.  Michigan State is now 3-0 and #25 and #23 on the AP and USA Today Polls respectively.  In the USA Today Poll, they are right behind Michigan #22.  This adds more fuel to the intra-state and conference rivalry.  Their meeting on October 9 at the Big House, well BIGGER House, will be a battle!   This week’s game to watch is Alabama #1 against Arkansas #12.  This will be a test for both teams.  Arkansas looked great in a victory on the road against Georgia, but their defense will have to slow down Heisman winner, Mark Ingram.  Alabama has dominated in their first three games, but this will be their first game on the road against a ranked opponent.

MNF – Tonight the reigning Super Bowl Champs, New Orleans Saints, will play the San Francisco 49ers.  Last week the 49ers gave up 31 points to the Seattle Seahawks.  Surely their defense will not be able to hold off Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Who Dat Nation will see their team remain undefeated.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

NFL conduct policy for everyone, not just players

Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, addressed all of the newly drafted players yesterday at the first day of the annual rookie symposium.  Among other things, he highlighted the leagues personal conduct policy.  In general, the policy prohibits NFL players, NFL employees, NFL Club employees and prospective players and employees from “engaging in violent and/or criminal activity” because it is detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL.  The goal is to ensure that everyone affiliated with the NFL represents it positively or deal with the consequences.  Goodell calls this program to maintain a positive image, “protecting the shield” referring to the league’s logo.  He is serious about this and has not been reluctant to discipline the NFL’s biggest stars.  Just ask Steeler’s quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.

Over the weekend, Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and Thomas (Tom) Lewand, Detroit Lions President both made their way on Goodell’s list for potential disciplinary action for breaking the personal conduct policy. 

Michael Vick, still on probation as a result of his conviction for dog fighting, is being investigated by the NFL for a shooting that happened at the location of his birthday party last Thursday in Virginia Beach.  It has been reported that Vick was no longer at the club when Quanis Phillips was shot early Friday morning.  The Virginia Beach Police said that Vick is not “a person of interest,” but one of the conditions of his probation prohibits him from associating with Phillips.  I think that the league’s investigation will look to determine if Vick played a role in the shooting, if he broke the conditions of his probation by being in an environment with Phillips and if he used good judgment having a party at a club.  Vick just returned to the league last year.  Even if he did not have anything to do with the shooting, just hosting the party could demonstrate that he has not learned his lesson and still associates with negative people and makes poor decisions off the field.    

Tom Lewand was arrested in Denton Township, Michigan last Friday for “suspicion” of DUI.  I am not sure what “suspicion” means but the police report notes that Lewand failed the sobriety test and his blood-alcohol level was .21 thirty minutes after police pulled him over.  (He refused to take the test when first stopped.)  Since the incident, the NFL has stated that the personal conduct policy does apply to all NFL personnel and they are gathering the facts on Lewand’s arrest.  Regardless of the league’s probe, the fact that Lewand’s blood-alcohol level was two times Michigan’s legal limit of .08, demonstrates that he was operating a vehicle illegally.

After his address to rookies yesterday evening, Goodell reminded reporters that the conduct policy “isn't a player policy, it's a personal conduct policy."  Goodell has received some criticism for handling poor behavior from players tougher than coaches, personnel and owners.  Many argue that owners and team personnel are not in the public like players.  Not true.  They may not have the notoriety of a star player, but they are the face of the organization.  They need to be held accountable for their actions because they set the example for their staff and the players.  If Goodell is truly going to “protect the shield” he will have to act on what he says and discipline everybody in the NFL for not complying with the policy, not just players.  

Ciao!

Heels &  Helmets