I’m holding true to my belief that Brady needed seven to eight weeks to find his comfort zone. As the season went on, we noticed the progress Brady made, step by step.

His second half against Buffalo was a complete 180 of the first half. After being blitzed nearly to death against the New York Jets, Brady carved up Atlanta and starred down Baltimore’s Ray Lewis-led defense and came out ahead.

Not happy with his inaccuracy on deep balls against Denver, Brady put on a clinic against Tennessee, throwing six touchdowns and connecting on a handful of passes downfield. And Brady put it all together in London in a sound defeat of Tampa Bay.

Continue reading "The Real Tom Brady"

That’s the approach head coach Bill Belichick took with this game in London, England. Apparently the flight is about as long as a flight to a West Coast game. The accent is different, so is the venue, and the crowd behavior will be unique. But otherwise it’s just another game. It was a big deal the first time the NFL played a regular season game at Wembley Stadium, but there shouldn’t be any fuss about this overseas game.

Honestly, why is the NFL even bothering to play in England? It wasn’t too long ago that the league cancelled NFL Europa because this developmental league was losing money annually.

But that doesn’t keep the NFL from eyeing overseas markets. Patriots owner Robert Kraft even said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was an NFL franchise in London within 10 years.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff Week 7"

The Irish appeared to be on the cusp of being blown-out when Trojans running back Joe McKnight scored to make it a 34-14 game with only thirteen minutes remaining in regulation.

However, instead of going into the fetal position, Notre Dame (4-2) valiantly battled back and cut the deficit to one touchdown.

Unfortunately for fans of the Irish, that is as close as Notre Dame would come to defeating USC (5-1) for the first time in eight attempts.

“Anybody who says there’s no fight in the Fighting Irish is missing the boat,” said embattled Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis, 53, who was given $40 million and a five-year contract to coach the Irish.

Continue reading "The Irish Should Axe Charlie Weis and Hire Jon Gruden"

Here are some of my astute observations from the Cowboys’ Monday night victory against the Panthers:

     1. The Cowboys played a very gritty game.

They actually “out-toughed” the Panthers, which hasn’t happened since week 3 of last season against Green Bay.  Despite giving up a few plays in the passing game, the defense shut down a vaunted Carolina rushing attack and managed to keep DeAngelo Williams out of the endzone.  The offense managed to pound the rock at Carolina’s undersized front seven and take advantage of their depth at the running back position (Felix Jones and Tashard choice managed over 80 yards rushing a piece).  More importantly, Tony Romo showed toughness and focus, and did not make the critical mistake that could have swung this game in Carolina’s favor.

Continue reading "Tuesday Evening Hangover Dallas Cowboys reveiw and other NFL news"

Continue reading "Doomed from the coin toss"

Continue reading "The Toughest Season"

That’s a serious slight to Ben Watson and David Thomas, but who are they to argue? Last year Watson contributed 22 receptions and two touchdowns. Thomas had just nine catches.

2007 wasn’t much better, as Watson (36-389-6) and Thomas (two games played, 1-9-0) combined to play small supporting roles in comparison to the headliners.

It’s unfortunate because they both showed a moment of great promise. Watson opened eyes when he broke three Jacksonville tackles before sprinting 63 yards for a score in a 2006 Wild Card game. There was also the display of unbelievable athleticism when in a 2005 Divisonal game Watson chased down Denver’s Champ Bailey to prevent a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Continue reading "The Battle at Tight End"

Well, I saw Bart Scott go to the Jets, I watched the Jets get Lito Sheppard, and I saw Albert Haynesworth go to the Redskins. Yes, these are high-priced players, and they got paid, but truthfully, we could have used at least one of these players! And obviously, I am waiting for our Browns to step in, but don't expect them to. According to Mangini, look for the Browns to wait until later in the week. Some free agents are scheduled to visit, and this sounds promising. Doesn't it? Well, not exactly. At least one free agent, Andre Goodman, signed with the Broncos before visiting Cleveland. Yes, Andre Goodman...you know him. He played for the Dolphins last year, but why would we want him? If Parcels didn't want him, why should we? It doesn't matter anymore. He's a Bronco. Good for them.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns Free Agency or Not"

I understand that teams struggle, and that many times coaches pay the price for it. I'm just not so sure that letting Gruden go was the best thing to do. While Tampa has been up and down the past few years there is more to notice than just Grudens ability or lack there of. in this modern era of winning and championships, Gruden has got to be heralded as the greatest coach in Bucs history delivering their only Super Bowl in 2002. They have had several playoff years in his tenure, and despite an unexpected collapse at the end of this season were on pace to make the playoffs again safter starting 9-3.

Is Tampa Bay's 0-4 finish solely on the shoulders of Gruden? Probably not. Has he been made the scapegoat for a mediocre team with expectations that are unattainable? Possibly. Granted, Tony Dungy did an amazing job in Tampa turning the Buccaneers from a team of ridicule almost annually to a legitimate playoff team. But even Dungy could not bring a Lombardi Trophy to the sunshine state. Gruden being one of the handful of prodigies to excel under the tutelidge of coaching great Mike Holmgren, took over Tampa and led them straight to the Super Bowl in 2002. As for this years fall from grace, did Gruden's coaching ability take a leave of abscence in December? I doubt it. The coach can only take you so far, and then the players have to make plays.

Continue reading "Passing the Torch in Tampa"