Brick City Boxing

Monday, December 14, 2009
Week 14 thoughts...

The AFC Playoff Race.

With every team aside from the colts seemingly at 7-6, should make for a great stretch run! With Cincy losing you have to feel pretty solid with the 10-3 Chargers in the 2 seed. The Bengals with a 2 game lead and 3 to play are probably pretty safe as the 3 seed and the AFC North winner. The AFC East now, that is gonna be fun. The Fins and Jets at 7-6 are not only in the wild card hunt but they are very much still in the Division hunt only 1 game behind the Pats who are a shell of teams past. Here is what remains for these teams

Pats @ Buffalo, sounds easy , but it took a flurry of a finish to comeback and beat Buffalo early in the year in New England, Jacksonville at home, a team with plenty to play for and clinging to the last wild card spot and finally @ Houston a team that will play well because they always do once they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

[More:]

Fins @ Tenn, No one wants to play this team right now Period! Houston, see above, Pitt at home, you have to think this team will show an ounce of pride at some point! Plus they may have their heart back in the form of their long haired hippie Safety!

The Jets Jets Jets Atlanta at home, a team reeling, @ Colts, a team that has been inclined to rest players when they lock things up. If I was Rex, I blitz the kitchen sink at Peyton early and often and make that decision easy for Caldwell, Bengals at home, they may have nothing to play for.

Obviously the Pats have earned the benefit of the doubt, but the Jets have a solid or a punchers chance at winning this division.

Something Missing!

What is it that teams like San Diego have that teams like Dallas do not? Hard to put your finger on it. I have to say it just has to be coaching coaching coaching. Any person that thought Wade Phillips was the better choice over Norv Turner 3 years ago, took a nice slap in the mouth yesterday, as Norv’s Offense, when needed moved the ball at will against Wade’s Defense! Norv as a play caller is light years better than Jason Garrett. Garrett has no idea at all about running a play or formation in the hopes of setting up a different call later in the game. Our drives are either all passes or all runs. One does not setup the other.
Here is what Chargers linebacker Tim Dobbins said after the game regarding Dallas’ 4 straight runs into the line of scrimmage after getting a 1st and goal from the 3.

"I don't know what they were thinking but after the second time you gotta think, `don't run that play no more,''' ``I don't know if they watched film or what."Dobbins was in on three of the tackles and knew what was coming.
"In our mind, we knew he (Marion Barber) wasn't blocking. We knew he had to get the ball. He's not getting paid to block. Everybody knows that, everybody in the stands knew that. We knew it was going to be a flip or a dive, one or the other. I don't know what they were thinking,'' Dobbins said.
Let me answer that for you Tim, Garrett does not think. He simply looks at his play sheet and picks a play.
Any Dallas fan that has been watching this team over the last 30 or so games has seen this identical game at least 10 times. Defense starts out hot..Offense moves the ball but does not put points on the board..Offense finally wakes up in the 3rd qtr …defense wears down and collapses when it matters most. Is like Deja Vu over and over again for this team. My biggest fear is that Jerry let’s Wade go and promotes the Doogie Houser of coaching Jason Garrett to head coach. Because he will still call the plays and he simply can not. Now the good news is, there are guys like Shanahan, Gruden (not a big fan) and Holmgren out there. I am assuming Cower goes to Carolina, so I am not counting him. The bad news is all 3 of these guys specialize in the West Coast offense. I think Romo and Williams and Austin will fit just fine in that offense, however it is usually at least 1 or 2 seasons of a learning curve before a team really understands that offense, ESPECIALLY if Gruden is the guy who has about 9,000 plays in his play book. We will see. I go back to my preseason forecast of 8-8 for Dallas. Another year of wasted talent.

ps. How many scouting departments are re-evaluating how they do things every week that they see Desean Jackson just abuse another defense! Man that cat is fun to watch, just wish he played for another team..ANY other team!