NFL Sunday Recap - Week 9

Sometimes a change is good. Sometimes, not so much:

Change You Can Belive In!:
Vince Young
Lets face it: the Tennessee Titans are not the team they were last year. Struggling doesn't even begin to describe their first six games, which saw them score 10 or less points three times and get blown out more often than not. Kerry Collins under center clearly wasn't the answer, as he never led a single game in passing yards, including Week 3 when Mark Sanchez led the game with 171 yards. Somehow, though, the Vince Young Experiment has turned this team around in the last two weeks without doing any better than Collins did. In fact, in the last two games, the Titans have scored only 20 points less than in the first six games combined, Young has thrown for 50 yards per game less than Collins was, and only has 1 TD pass. I don't know what Vince is doing down there, but he better keep doing it.

Josh Freeman
Freeman is expected to be the future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise. Well, after losing 11 straight games and starting the season 0-7, the future is now. In his first career start, he had 1 more TD and two less picks than the man on the other side of the field, Aaron Rodgers. Oh, and the Bucs got their first win of the season against a team that was expected to make the playoffs.

New Face, Same Result:
Ryan Moats
Sure, Moats has been in the NFL a while. And he lost his starting job when Steve Slaton looked like he might turn into the greatest RB to ever play in Texas. But with Slaton turning into a fumblemonster, Moats got the start! And then totaled 38 yards on 16 carries, scored a receiving TD, and lost a fumble. Thats not how you win games, especially against the Indianapolis Colts. I said last week that Moats would probably get the start this week, then go back to the banch after the bye, and this looks like he's trying to prove me right.

Jamaal Charles
With Larry Johnson on suspension, the Kansas City Chiefs called on Charles to audition for the part of "Good Player." And he succeeded! Sort of. He averaged 6 yards per carry, which is almost three times what Johnson has been averaging, but fell victim to play calling. KC ran the ball 14 times, and Charles only got it six. I know Andy Reid is a good coach and all, but did Todd Haley watch the Eagles-Raiders game as part of his preparation for this one?
Rookie Roundup: Using a complex scoring system to rank two major rookies for the season

Mark Sanchez: Off
Points: 0, 56.15 overall

Matthew Stafford: 22/42, 203 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT, 2 sacks, 1 fumble
Points: -6.85, 31.65 overall

Week 8 Winner: Sanchez, without even playing

What Have We Learned?: Three things we can take away from this weekend
1. Would the #1 receiver in Dallas please raise their hand? Not so fast Roy Williams!
How do you truly judge the worth of a #1 receiver? Is it by the number of catches? Touchdowns? Targets? No, you judge a #1 receiver the way I'm sure Chad Ochocinco does: by how the defense reacts to him, and what that does to the offense. Chad knows that for a defense to be successful, they need to shut him down. Last night against the Eagles, the Cowboys almost lost. Was it because Williams was seeing double coverage all night? No, he had 5 catches for 75 yards. Miles Austin, however, was locked up like a bank vault for the first three quarters, and didn't have a catch. So did that mean Williams had to have a breakout fourth quarter? No, due to excellent playcalling and execution, Austin finally got open, made his only catch of the night, and took it 49 yards for the game winning TD. Thats how a #1 receiver does it.
2. The NFC West might be the worst division in football
"Worst Division" is usually a title I reserve for the AFC West, but with 6-1 Denver and 5-3 San Diego, I can't honestly make that statement right now. However, I can easily make that statement about the NFC West. Three of the four teams are on a streak of 1 win, and the fourth, San Francisco, is on a 4 game losing streak after starting off 3-1. And all three of those wins came against the NFC West. I haven't done the math to see if its even possible, but if a divison winner can have a losing record, this would be the division it would happen in. Can we possible trade the NFC West for the SEC West?
3. Winless teams: Still winning!
Of the teams with one or less wins this season, the Browns and Rams had off, the Lions and Chiefs still lost, but those Titans and Buccaneers are tricky ones! Both teams came into their games as the underdog, and both teams pulled out solid wins. With the Bucs now having won a game, no team can go winless this season. Kepp hope alive, people! If they can succeed, so can you!