NFL Week 16 Preview
December 24th, 2010Dear Friends At Webster's Dictionary,
I would like to suggest a new definition for the word electrifying. I would like to suggest: Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson. I know first hand they define the word electrifying because I just watched them electrify the Giants. Please let me know what you think.
Thank you very much....
You know the weight that the Jets were carrying on their backs all last week? It's still in New York (Jersey) but the Jets are no longer carrying it. The Giants are. The Jets were emotionally on the ropes heading into their game against the Steelers. They were not clearly better then the Steelers Sunday. They gave up tons of yards (is that possible physically speaking? Can yards be measured by the ton?) and Troy Polamalu didn't play but they won the game. They beat a team many people still predict will play in the Super Bowl and now they not only feel much better about themselves, they are almost guaranteed a playoff spot. Interestingly, even with their loss, the Steelers are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. According to the NFL- and I'm taking their word for it because the alternative is to try to decipher their tie breaking rules and I've misplaced my abacus and Rosetta Stone- the Steelers win all tie breakers against the other contenders for the final wild card spot.
While there's calm (relative calm, Rex Ryan is still coach and no, we're not going to talk about feet here) on one side of the Meadowlands, the other side is a tad less calm. Tom Coughlin (aka You Think Rex Ryan Seems Unhinged, HA!) almost came unhinged at the end of the Giants convulsive meltdown. Right there, as both teams and the rest of the world watched he almost throttled his punter Matt Dodge. True, Dodge either made a very poor choice or a very poor punt but umm, Tom, did you happen to catch any of the rest of the fourth quarter? I'm not a football man but I'd say punting may be the least of your team's problems right now. Yes, Dodge should have kicked the ball out of bounds as the game ended but isn't 70 yards long enough for those 10 other guys on your kicking team to find and tackle a player? What if that player not only moves backwards but completely muffs the punt? Then, can they locate and tackle him? And what about that Brent Celek TD? No one on your team can outrun Brent Celek? That's a problem because I'm told Andy Reid can outrun Brent Celek. As for Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, well, I suspected nobody on your team could outrun them. But thanks for the demonstration.
Still, as things stand, it's not likely the Giants won't advance to the playoffs. The Packers, who face the Giants in week 16 are suddenly much less likely to advance. They looked pretty good in their loss to New England especially since Aaron Rodgers didn't play but they did lose. The fact that the Bears are now set as Champs of the NFC North may help the Packers. It's possible that when they play each other the last week of the season the Bears intensity will not be what it might have been if the Bears were still fighting for a playoff spot. But with the Giants and Saints solidly ahead of them in the wild card chase the Packers almost have to win their game against New York.
Who would have thought that the city of New Orleans, land of gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice would be saying, "Please, no more Rice." Drew Brees is good isn't he? But he's not out there on defense so he could only watch Ray Rice run all over the Saints. In doing that, Rice reminded us all that the Ravens may have a pretty good passing game but they can still run the ball. They will be a force once the playoffs begin.
Speaking of running the ball, did you see 300 lb. lineman Dan Connolly run back a kickoff 71 yards and almost score for the Patriots against the Packers? So, what do you say, Dan Connolly, fastest man in the NFL?
