Week 8: The Saints Come Marching In

Sean Payton is the only Saint not
operating at 100% right now. (Getty)

So, we spent all weekend hanging out in New York City together and still couldn't manage to finish up the blog until after kickoff.  Oh well, they say it's the city that never sleeps, but we both slept until about 11 a.m. each day and then limped uncomfortably through the cold wet snowy-rain substance all of last night.

We did the weekly draft in person, which was fun and Kelli and Justin (two of our three-and-a-half or so loyal readers) got to witness the draft.  After the Saints shellacked Indy last week and with the Packers on bye, it was back to well for the week's top draft pick.

Stally (Seven-Point Pick) - New Orleans over @St. Louis

Stally: This pick is pretty clear.  The Saints just beat up the Colts by a score of 62-7 and the St. Louis Rams aren't a whole lot better than that.  My only reservation is that it's a road game, but we're getting to a point that the Saints are the second-best team in the NFC (behind Green Bay, of course) and the Rams are probably the worst.

Miami's Feeling Luck-y

Stally's Goal Line Stand

This Matt Moore fumble was the
 last straw in Miami's collapse. (AP)

Over the second half of the season, Austen and I will probably start talking much more about the Andrew Luck sweepstakes and which teams are best positioning themselves (a nice way of saying losing too much) to have the chance to take the star quarterback first overall.

Bill Simmons recently joked about what he called "Tankapalooza" in the NBA, when all the lower tier teams started circling the toilet bowl in hopes of landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the draft.  The difference in the NBA is that they have a lottery system, whereas the NFL goes simply by record.

The Miami Dolphins were the first contestant to play the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes last week as they tanked a 15-point lead.  Say what you want about Tim Tebow's heroics, but the Dolphins got the ball with a first down with 5:50 remaining and a 15-0 lead.  They then went three-and-out, allowed Denver to score a touchdown, recover an onside kick, score another touchdown and gave up the predictable Tim Tebow two-point conversion run to tie the game.  They then got the ball in overtime, got stopped on third-and-one for another three-and-out and fumbled on their following drive to give the Broncos the ball in game-winning field goal range.

Week 8 Opening Coin Toss: AFC Mediocrity

For the Jets to make the playoffs, Mark Sanchez
has to bring home the bread... and the hot dog.

Stally: Talk to me about your New York Jets, Austen.  They should've lost to Dallas and San Diego at home, which would leave them at 2-5.  Instead, they came back to win both and are 4-3 and right in the playoff mix.  What's gone wrong and knocked this team from the elite?  What do they need to fix down the stretch to make the playoffs and build on their postseason success from the last two seasons? And, most importantly, point blank: will they make the playoffs?

Austen: First off, "should've" is a meaningless term in the NFL. A win is a win, no matter how ugly, and the Jets tend to win a lot of ugly games. In Mark Sanchez's first season in the NFL, the team played so bad down the stretch that Rex Ryan came out and said they had no chance to make it to the playoffs. A lot of other teams fell apart and matchups against the Colts and Bengals, who had both already solidified their positions in the playoffs, pulled starters and gave the Jets easy wins.

Week 7 Final Score

Ray Rice and the Ravens took a
step backward losing to the Jags. (AP)

The Jets pulled out a late victory, but it was still another rough week for Austen.  He had another unlucky week with most of his logical picks (Baltimore over Jacksonville, for instance) going against him, while Stally was one Plaxico Burress away from getting all of his picks right.

It's also important to note for those really keeping track, we had a Week 4 scoring gaffe.  Our spreadsheet said both of us were correct in picking Pittsburgh, which lost to Houston, so we've both been deducted one win in Pick 'Em.

Hopefully there aren't any such issues in this week's final scorecard.

Week 7

We Have Learned Nothing About Tebow

Austen's Goal Line Stand

Let's not crown Tim Tebow just yet.

Sorry to keep talking about Tim Tebow, but in a week with some of the worst matchups so far this season, Tebow scoring 18 unanswered points against the Dolphins in the last five minutes of the game and overtime is one of the biggest storylines. While his performance at the end of the game to give the Broncos their second win of the season was impressive, it was a true team performance that got them back in that game. Whether that was a team meshing at the right time or Tebow's leadership skills rallying this team, we will never know, but the Broncos did not win this game because of Tebow's performance on the field.

With 5:23 left on the clock, Tebow was 4/14 for 40 yards. That is a horrible performance for any quarterback with any amount of experience. He was throwing up passes that were so far away from his receivers that there were no defenders around to intercept the ball, which was the only reason he did not turn the ball over during this game. His receivers were getting wide open against an awful Dolphins defense and he still could not complete a pass, even when he had tons of time in the pocket.

Week 7: Rematch Romp

The Super Bowl XLIV rematch
won't be nearly as exciting.

Stally: Austen and I got a little behind this week.  We drafted plenty early, but both had scattered weekends.  I was the only one with the draft results and Austen went to the Jets game early this morning, but I'll get something out and then Austen can respond once he gets home after the game.  Keep in mind that everything I wrote was written before Austen's opinion.

The big game on the schedule at the start of the season was the Super Bowl XLIV rematch between the Saints and Colts in prime time.  Of course, with the Colts as bad as they've been without Peyton Manning, it went from being a great game to another Sunday night sleeper.  So one-sided in fact, that it was the clear top pick for the week.

Austen: Sorry everyone for the late response! I will be unbiased despite a lot of these games being already decided.

Austen (Seven-Point Pick) - @New Orleans over Indianapolis

Week 7 Coin Toss: Niners Heads, NFC East Tails

Austen: The Giants don't need a miracle to
win their division. They just need the rest
of it to keep playing mediocre football.

Stally: Austen, please help me (and everyone) make sense of the jumble we have in the NFC East.  Here's what we got: Giants 4-2, Redskins 3-2, Cowboys 2-3, Eagles 2-4. I feel like all these teams are mediocre to good, but none are great and none are garbage.  They could all finish in a 9-7 to 7-9 window.

Who will win this division and what will the finishing order and records look like?  Also of importance: there aren't too many powerhouses emerging in the NFC.  What do you think it will take to get the Wild Card and what are the chances two of these NFC East teams sneak in?  After Super Bowl predictions for the Cowboys and Eagles in the past two seasons, what expectations would you have for the division in the postseason?

Austen: Plain and simple, the Giants will win this division. If the Giants had not blown the end of the game against the Seahawks, they would be 5-1. While maybe you could say that about a few other teams in this division, but the Giants are playing better football than any other team in this division, which looks worse than it has in years. The Giants have been hit by the injury bug worse than any other team in the NFL, and it is one of the worst rash of injuries I have ever seen. Yet they are shockingly 4-2. Their defense is going to get a lot better once some of their top players come back from injuries, and it will be just in time for the Giants' schedule to toughen up. I look for them to finally finish out a season strong and win 9-10 games, which should be enough to win this surprisingly weak division.

Raided

Stally's Goal Line Stand

The long term implications of the Palmer
trade will sink the Raiders. (AP)

Coincidentally, Austen's stand relates to my comments last week about Tim Tebow and my stand will relate to Austen's last week about Carson Palmer.  Austen suggested that the Bengals should get what they could for Palmer since it clearly wasn't something that was going to work in Cincy.  Well, the Bengals got a lot more than what they should have for him!

A first round pick in 2012 and a second rounder in 2013, are you kidding!?  Shortly after the passing of Al Davis, this move counters the argument that Davis was to blame for poor personnel decisions in Oakland.  This trade makes no sense.

How the heck the Broncos settled for a sixth-round pick for top receiver Brandon Lloyd and the Bengals snagged two prime picks for a quarterback well past his own prime is beyond me.  Then, again, it's the Raiders.

This pick was mind boggling on several levels.

What Are the Broncos Doing?

Austen's Goal Line Stand

The Broncos are going all in on Tim Tebow
being their fearless leader, but why do they
continue to trade away talented players?

I thought the Broncos were crazy when they traded away a disgruntled Jay Cutler for a slew of draft picks, and I still think they were considering they are still looking for a franchise quarterback and have drafted extremely poorly.

I did not like the move to trade away Brandon Marshall because they had no one to replace him and he was by far the most talented player on their team. However, I understood considering they were not going to resign him because of all his personal problems, which turned out to be worse than anyone imagined. Maybe it ended up being a good move for the team, but I am not a fan of bailing on you players when they hit a rough patch because it shows that the organization does not support its players.

After both of these big trades that really did not pan out for the team, considering they have not had a winning season 2006 and look to currently be one of the worst teams in the NFL, I thought their days of trading away their top players was over. I was hoping it was a Josh McDaniels problem that the Broncos solved by firing his arrogant butt. However, that is clearly not the case considering they just traded their best offensive weapon, Brandon Lloyd, for a 6th round pick.

Are you kidding me?

Week 6 Final Score

Vintage Brady didn't flash the stats,
he just won the game. (Getty)

Week 6 was a ho-hum week by most accounts.  The Stubborn OXen each went 10-3 in pick 'em and combined to go 9-4 in the weekly draft.  Three of the four draft busts were the final three picks of the draft, so they had little impact.

Austen took the bath of the week when his five-point pick Saints were excommunicated by Tampa Bay.  But, Stally's been outspoken against the Bucs all season, so there wasn't much chiding from that camp.  In New England, Stally's karma pick for the game he was attending was treated to a vintage Tom Brady game-winning drive to salvage a fourth consecutive week of winning the weekly draft.

Here's a look at the final scorecard.

Week 6

Week 6: Green Bay Greatness

The Packers look to jump all
over the winless Rams.

It's an interesting slate this week that features some preseason favorites like Atlanta and Philadelphia playing what they thought would be easy wins, but will be anything but.

Then, there's the San Francisco at Detroit game which is shockingly (and no joking) the Game of the Week.  It prompted us to add a little coverage known as such where we take a little bit deeper look at the week's biggest game.

Let's get right into it and kick it off in the same cheesy fashion we usually do.

Stally (Seven-Point Pick) - @Green Bay over St. Louis

Stally:  It's simple.  Remember the last time Green Bay lost a game?  Yeah, neither do. 

Austen: The Packers simply don't lose at home. They really don't lose anywhere, but this should be an easy win for them. Sam Bradford is going to take a beating in this game.

Old School Tebow

Stally's Goal Line Stand

Tebow plays the game the
way it was meant. (Getty)

I hate to be his biggest proponent as I always got bugged about the hype just like everyone else, but I've also always respected Tim Tebow.  His game is not orthodox in anyway, but I appreciate the mentality he brings to the game.

He works hard.  He's a team player.  He shows a ton of heart.  He's dedicated to the game.  And, he's an all-around good citizen.

As my dad and I talked about recently, Tebow plays the game the way it's supposed to be played.  He's an old-school football player that just straps on the pads and goes and plays the game.  He's listed as a quarterback, and, entering the draft, everyone wanted to switch him to wide receiver or fullback or tight end or wherever.  The bottom line is that he's a football player.

Carson Palmer and the Trade Deadline

Austen's Goal Line Stand

I pray this is not the last we see of
Carson Palmer... it just can't be.

As a devout USC Trojans fan, it kills me to watch the NFL without Carson Palmer. This guy was the best quarterback USC has put out in recent memory (sorry Sanchez) and it is hard to believe that he is sitting at home stuck in football purgatory, better known as the Bengals.

If you are unfamiliar with his situation, after last year's disastrous season in Cincinnati, Palmer asked for a trade and threatened to retire if he was not on another team's roster by the start of the season. Mike Brown, the Bengals' headstrong owner, refused to have his personnel decisions made by one of his players and he denied Palmer's request for a trade. So far, each side has held strong and made good on their respective promises. Palmer is "retired" and Brown seems unwilling to move his old franchise quarterback.

However, with the trade deadline nearing, it is in the best interest of both parties to part ways and start anew. Andy Dalton is the future quarterback for the Bengals, who has impressed everyone so far by going 3-2. The Bengals don't need Palmer, but they could really use some draft picks in order to help out this young and improving team.

Week 6 Coin Toss: The Pirate Ship is Sinking

The Buccaneers' ship seems to be sinking fast. Will they be
able to right it or will their 2011 season be lost at sea?

Austen: Stally and I have so many pressing issues this week that it was very difficult for either of us to choose what we wanted to talk about. So many teams looking way better than expected (Bills, Lions, 49ers), and some teams looking way worse than we ever could have imagined (Eagles, Jets, Bucs).  If the season ended this week, the Chargers, Bills, Lions, and 49ers would all have first round byes, and the Bengals and the Redskins would also sneak into the playoffs.

I know a lot will change over the next 12 weeks, but the fact that five of the 12 "playoff" teams were expected to be around .500 or worse is pretty shocking. The lockout has clearly effected how prepared players are both mentally and physically, and injuries are becoming a big factor in how teams are capable of performing. However, there are no excuses in the NFL and you have to give props to these bottom dwellers for coming out to play every week.

--

The Buccaneers have been killing me this season. I really thought they were going to make a strong push to the playoffs this season, and despite a decent record at 3-2, they have looked awful this season. The three teams they have beaten (Falcons, Vikings, and Colts) have a combined three wins between them and they barely eked out those wins. On top of that, they have looked shockingly bad in their two losses, especially in getting blown out 48-3 to the 49ers last week.

Week 5 Final Score

The Stubborn OXen always said the Raiders
would get better when Al Davis passed. (AP)

The bye week took its toll on fantasy teams this week, but it also threw the Stubborn OXen off.

In the usual Weekly Draft, Stally missed two of six picks, while Austen missed four of seven.  The inaccuracy carried over to the Pick 'Em with the two combining for a mere .500 record, with Austen posting a disappointing 6-7.  With the final scorecard tallied up, Stally sweeps the three categories for the second time in as many weeks to open up a formidable lead.

Ironically, Austen's now lost three straight weeks in tandem with the Jets (perhaps it's not a coincidence) and seems to be mimicking their outcome.  You assume he'll be hoping for a turnaround both on the field and the blog as the Jets host the Dolphins in what threatens to be the second Monday night clunker of the season for Miami.

But, that's this coming week, here's the scorecard from Week 5:

Week 5

Week 5: Landing in New England

Over the last two weeks, Jets fans
have had to hide in shame. Is this
the week they get turned around?

Today's big game is clear, since the kickoff of the Stubborn OXen Blog at the start of the 2011 season, this will be the first time Stally's Patriots and Austen's Jets will take on one another.

It poses to be an crucial game.  The Jets have lost two straight and need the win to get back on track for another playoff run.  The Patriots were embarrassed at home in last  year's playoffs to New York and look to make up for that by burying the Jets  in the division.

Stally's Editor's Note: Sorry if my response to Austen's picks don't seem to fit what he said.  I'm playing in a golf tournament this afternoon, so I typed all mine in one sitting.

Austen (Seven-Point Pick) - @New York-G over Seattle

Austen: In a week that seems to have a lot of close matchups, this has to be the hands down best pick. The Giants are a little dinged up, but the Seahawks are terrible and they have that cross country trip that I always talk about, which really hurts them. 

Stally: The Giants were an obvious choice.  I expected this so much I had my first pick lined up even though my computer hadn't fired up when we started the phone call.

Week 5 Coin Toss: Sanchize or Bust?

Mark Sanchez handed the Ravens
three touchdowns in his
Week 4 matchup in Baltimore.

Austen: Week 4 was yet another crazy week in the NFL. More season ending injuries, more upsets, more passing yards than the NFL has ever seen. Teams at the bottom of their divisions last year are looking like contenders and many Super Bowl hopeful teams are failing fast. Just another year in the NFL, and it is precisely why the NFL is the best run professional sport in the world. 

Let me start off by asking Stally my question of the week: Will Mark Sanchez ever be any better than just a mediocre quarterback? Sanchez has looked so good at times, especially in the playoffs, but can he put it all together and play well for a full 16-week regular season schedule? Before the season started, I felt bad ranking Sanchez outside of the top 20 quarterbacks in the NFL (he was ranked 21st), but now I think I might have ranked him too high. I feel like the Jets have landed Chad Pennington 2.0, except he just puts up an awful performance every other week, instead of being injured every other week. I was ecstatic when the Jets landed our USC Trojan brother in the draft, but now I am rethinking my excitement. Sanchez is a hard working guy who gives the team his all, but is his all enough to warrant the hype around this young quarterback? I am afraid to propose this question to you, but I am very interested to hear what you have to say.

You ask Heads or Tails, I ask Sanchize or Bust?

Most Pivotal Player

Tony Romo is pivotal to Dallas' success. (AP)

Stally's Goal Line Stand

Tony Romo was identified by one analyst last week at the league's MPP: Most Pivotal Player.  After hearing this explanation, I agree whole-heartedly with the assessment and would like to run with it (or air it out, cause it's Romo).

The MPP has the most control over the outcome of a game.  Win...or lose.  Romo has had that affect with the Dallas Cowboys early in the year.

Go ahead, remove him from the Cowboys lineup and replace him with Jon Kitna and let's simulate the outcome.

After Week 1, I told Austen that the Jets were just a Tony Romo away from losing 24-10 to Dallas.  That was a little off, but the 14-point game was the same.

Where Have All the Hogs Gone?

AUSTEN'S GOAL LINE STAND

Redskins' Hall of Fame Guard Russ Grimm (68) looks
as concerned as I am about the lack of quality
 offensive linemen in the NFL this season. 

I know the NFL has turned into a passing league and that puts teams' quarterbacks at higher risk, but has anyone seen the type of beatings these guys are taking every week? The sacks and hits are already mounting this season and despite the league's wussy rules to protect the quarterback, there have been a lot of injuries to these signal callers so far and it is only going to get worse as the season progresses. So I ask, where have all the hogs gone?

If you are unfamiliar with the term "hogs," it is a nickname for offensive lineman that was made popular during the early 1980s by the Washington Redskins' enormous offensive line that helped them win three Super Bowls between 1982-1992. The nickname stuck with the team and has spread throughout all levels of football (in my younger days, I was proud to call myself a hog).

Anyone who has read, or watched, "The Blind Side," should remember that it was not until the mid-80s that pass rushing demon Lawrence Taylor changed the game of football forever by making the left tackle, or the quarterback's blind side protector, the second highest paid position in the NFL. Taylor was such a feared defender that teams needed to find athletic giants to play left tackle in order to stop him for destroying their quarterbacks. I see the NFL changing in a similar manner over the last few years.

Week 4 Final Score

After a promising start, Austen
and the Jets are wondering
what went suddenly wrong. (AP)

Week 4 was a one-sided affair that featured the first clean sweep across the Weekly Draft, Pick 'Em and Season Teams.  As a true fan of the New York Jets, Austen has seemed to embody the culture of his team.  He started out in impression fashion, but has fallen off recently and put up an all-around poor showing in Week 4.

Stally took all three categories thanks to holding onto all of his picks with the exception of the two and one-pointers, while Austen only held serve on three games.  It could have been worse had Austen's six-point pick in the New York Giants not gotten the lucky controversial call of the week on what should have been a Victor Cruz fumble.  The Giants went on to comeback and Austen got his six points, while Stally missed out on the upset Pick 'Em choice of Arizona.

With a noticeable change in momentum, this weekend's pivotal matchup between the Patriots and the Jets won't exist only on the field, it should also spill over to the Stubborn OXen.

Week 4

Week 4: Packin' It In

Josh McDaniels may no longer be the coach in Denver,
but the Broncos are still suffering the consequences of
McDaniels stripping this team of all its young talent.

Another late week for our picks, but hopefully we can get in a better rhythm as the season goes on.  Now that the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is packing up for the year, Stally should have more free time.  And Austen, well, he'll just have to cut down on his Aaron-like excuses and get after it.

Week 4 seems to offer a slate of uninspiring games.  There are several blowout opportunities and some boring coin flips near the bottom of the league.  Stally gets first pick in Week 4.  Here are the predictions:


Stally (Eight-Point Pick) - @Green Bay over Denver

Stally: I might have taken the Patriots first overall in the season draft, but I'm loving the Packers early season matchups.  I've now taken them first in both weeks I've had the first choice.  This one's simple: Green Bay is one of the best teams in the league, Denver's one of the worst and this game's in Wisconsin.

Austen: Denver does not have a chance in this game. I am still standing strong thinking that Green Bay is the best team in the NFL. Oh yea, and I still think the Broncos are one of the worst teams in the NFL. This is clearly the best choice of the week.


Austen (Eight-Point Pick) - New Orleans over @Jacksonville

The NFC Worse

Thanks to Jim Harbaugh, after seven years, Alex Smith
might finally take the Niners to...the playoffs. (AP)

Stally's Goal Line Stand

As shocking as this might sound, I think the NFC West might even be worse than last season!

To recap, let's remember (sorry, if you've tried to forget) that the Seattle Seahawks became the first team in the history of the NFL to win a division with a losing record when they did so at 7-9 last year.  They edged out 7-9 St. Louis in a tiebreaker (by beating them in the final game of the season), 6-10 San Francisco and 5-11 Arizona.

- Seattle is worse this year.  The only noticeable improvement was Sidney Rice at WR, but I still contend that Tarvaris Jackson was a downgrade from Matt Hasselbeck at QB.  They're 1-2 and could easily be 0-3.

Mike Wallace: Best Receiver in the NFL? Maybe

Austen's Goal Line Stand

Get used to seeing Mike Wallace (17)
stiff arming and burning defenders.

Mike Wallace has been by far the most impressive young receiver in the NFL over the last two seasons. He has recorded over 100 receiving yards in all three games this season and has scored two touchdowns. Obviously he will not keep up at this rate, but he is on pace to record over 2000 yards receiving this season. He has passed DeSean Jackson as the most explosive receiver in the NFL and he is worthy of being considered the top receiver in the entire NFL (yes, including Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson).

Wallace is rightfully considered a "speed receiver" (he might be the fastest player in the league), but while it is his main strength, he should not be defined as just a speed guy because he is an all around balanced player. Most guys who are considered speed receivers, like Randy Moss, run a very limited number of routes, which makes them easier to defend since defenders can better anticipate where they are going to be running even before the snap.