NFL Week 7 Wrap-up

This week, some teams played proudly, while others embarrassed our country:

Proud to be an America!:
New England Patriots
New England was the away team in what is now the leagues yearly jaunt to Olde England. Thankfully, Tom Brady remembered how to play QB before this trip took place. I said in the preview of this game that jet lag was probably all that would stop the Pats this week, and it looks like I was right. Brady and the offense picked apart the Bucs, but Brady only had 308 yards and 3 TDs in this one.

NFL Sunday Recap - Week 7

ESPN is calling this Beatdown Sunday. Heres why:

The Four Biggest Beatdowns:
4. San Diego Chargers 31 - Kansas City Chiefs 7
This could go down as the week the Chargers woke up. Slow starters over the past few years, they are again off to a bad start at 2-3 before this week. Looking at the stats, though, its hard to think so. The Chargers are a team built on a solid defense and LT running the ball. Tomlinson had only 71 yards and no TD. Their defense had 3 INTs, which is good considering Matt Cassel hadn't thrown one in the last four games. Only 3 sacks and over 100 rushing yards given up is a bit troubling, though. What this game really highlights is how bad the Chiefs are. Their defensive stats are all zeroes, and Cassel could only manage 10/25 for 97 yards. The Cheifs are still rebuilding, and it looks like they need to tear things down to the foundation before they'll be good again.

NFL Week 4 Wrap-up

First quarter done, heres where we stand:

The Best:
New Orleans Saints
At 4-0, the Saints are actually tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the best offense yards-wise. But the Saints have scored 36 more points than the Colts have this season, which is more points than the Colts have put up in any single game this year. The fact that they are 10th in passing and second in rushing is a testament to how quickly they can pull out to a big lead: Their quick scores passing lets them run the ball exclusively late in the game.

NY Giants
The Giants offense struggled a bit so far this season. Their passing game lacked a #1 receiver, and Brandon Jacobs hasn't looked like the punishing back we've expected him to be. Its been their defense that has allowed the team to be 4-0. Sure, they gave up huge rushing numbers to the Cowboys in Week 2, but they shutout the Buccs in Week 3, and haven't allowed more than 17 points in their other two games.

The Worst:
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have the worst offense in football. Thats no surprise. They are barely averaging 10 points and 208 yards of TOTAL offense per game. Thats just barely half the ypg of the Colts and Saints.

Cleveland Browns
The if you thought the Browns offense was bad, then don't even look at their defense. The Browns are giving up almost 30 points and over 400 yards per game. They are actually 11th in the league against the pass, but who needs to pass when teams are averaging 177 rushing yards against them?

Injuries:
Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders: out 2-4 weeks with a torn meniscus in his right knee
Gerald Sensabaugh, SS, Cowboys: possible out 1 month after surgery to repair a plate in his thumb
Eli Manning, QB, Giants: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: day-to-day with a possible dislocated kneecap

Fantasy Studs:

1. 49ers defense. With 3 TDs, the '9ers put up the most fantasy points this weekend. They scored more points than the Saints offense did against the Jets.
2. David Garrard. He feasted on a Tennessee D that hasn't looked even close to as dominant as they were last year.
3. Rashard Mendenhall. Replacing injured RB Willie Parker, he made the most of his time, gaining almost 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Fantasy Duds:

1. Devin Hester. After having a breakout game last week, Hester only has 1 reception for 2 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury.
2. Darren McFadden. He was just barely better than Hester, totalling just 2 yards(-3 rushing) before leaving with his own injury.
3. Braylon Edwards. Congrats, Edwards! You got one whole fantasy point this week for making a solo tackle! Thats some heads up D from a receiver!

Week 4 Picks:
Straight up: 9-5, 43-19 overall
ATS: 9-5, 41-21 overall
o/u: 8-6, 30-32 overall

Questions for Week 5:
How much will Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook play?
Coming off the bye week, both players practiced on Monday. But are they ready? We still don't know how McNabb's rib will react to be ing hit, or even if he'll be ready to go this week. Westbrook is probably the better chance to play, as hes no stranger to being injured. How much of an impact will they have?

Can the Jets Bounce back?
The Jets suffered their first loss of the season this week, and the worst stats came from QB Mark Sanchez. The Saints D made him look like the rookie that he is, as he turned the ball over 4 times, and twice for TDs. After what is far and away his worst start of the season, how will he react? Can the Jets bounce back against what should be 4 fairly easy games in the next 4 weeks?

Who will be coaching the Raiders?
As the story of Randy Hanson's broken jaw has begun to come out over the past week or so, it increasingly looks like head coach Tom Cable could fined himself charged with assault. Its also possible no charges will be filed, and nothing will come of it. But in what has become an increasingly desparate season, this is the last thing the Raiders need now. Al Davis has always looked past people's off-field actions to put what he feels is the best team possible on the field, but how much more can Raiders fans take? Their team has the worst offense in the league, and now their head coaching situation is up in the air. Is it time to abandon ship in Oakland?

Tuesday Morning News - 9/29/09

Oakland Raiders assistant Randy Hanson has told police head coach Tom Cable broke his jaw in an altercation. Charges have not been filed. [The Huddle]

USC RB Stefan Johnson was seriously injured yesterday when the bar he was using to weightlift fell on his throat. [Rivals.com]

The LA Angels have clinched the AL West with an 11-0 win over the Texas Rangers. [MLB.com]

Magic Number Update: The Philadelphia Phillies number is down to 3 in the NL East. The LA Dodgers are down to 2 and can clinch the NL West with a win against San Diego AND a Colorado loss to Milwaukee tonight. The Boston Red Sox are down to 1 and can clinch the AL Wild Card with a win tonight over Toronto OR another Texas loss to the Angels.

Saturday Morning News - 9/12/09

ESPN is reporting that Richard Seymour is expected to report to Oakland as early as today, and could play in Monday's game against San Diego. [ESPN]

Derek Jeter went 2-4 in a 10-4 loss to the Orioles, breaking Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee with a leadoff single to right in the third inning. [MLB.com]

Kevin and Pat Williams will be allowed to play this season. A federal appeals court has ruled they cannot be suspended until the completion of a civil trial, which will not take place until after the current season. [StarTribune.com]

Three 19th ranked UNC players, including starting FB Bobby Rome, are believed to have Swine Flu. Rome and third string DT Jordan Nix, who would have normally been with the team, did not travel for todays game against UCONN. [The News & Observer]

Friday Morning News - 9/11/09

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Tennessee Titans, 13-10, in overtime, to kickoff the 2009 NFL season. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu has already fallen victim to the Madden Curse, spraining his MCL on a blocked field goal. He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. [Titans Radio]

The Oakland Raiders have denied an ESPN story stating they sent a letter to Richard Seymour demanding he report to the team in 5 days or be suspended. [The Huddle]

The NY Jets are being investigated by the NFL after Brett Farve made comments Wednesday stating the Jets knew about his torn biceps tendon, kept him off the weekly injury report, and made him play anyway. Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has admitted to mishandling the injury, while former head coach Eric Mangini has said the injury report was filled out within the league rules. [Bleacher Report]

Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing will merge teams after the current NASCAR season ends. The new 4-car team will drive Fords, last associated with Richard Petty when he drove one to nine victories in the 1969 season. [Detroit Free Press]

John Force has been fined $10,000 by the NHRA for making contact with an official during the post-race incident with Tony Pedregon. Rumors on racing message boards also say Force has shot down any chance of a $20,000 grudge match taking place at Carolinas Nationals. [Indy.com]

A Tale of Worst and Best: Analyzing the Richard Seymour Trade

On Sunday, the New England Patriots announced they were trading five time Pro Bowler Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raider for their 2011 first round pick. On the outside, this looks like a simple trade between two storied NFL franchises. But dig a little deeper and you'll find this trade embodies what makes Oakland one of the most disfunctional team in sports, and what makes New England the best run franchise in sports history.

A lot has been said about the Detroit Lions in recent years. The Matt Millen Era was not kind to them, and their 0-16 record in 2008 probably makes them the worst franchise in football right now. But don't overlook the Raiders. Since 2002, a year they finished with an 11-5 record and lost the Super Bowl, the Raiders have consistently mismanaged their team.They have consistently mismanaged their roster. They have consistently overpaid for players. They have consistently had the most disfunctional front office in sports. And they have consistently lost. Their five loses in 2002 equals the most wins they've had since that Super Bowl season, winning five games in 2004 and 2008. And you just have to look at the last 12 months to prove it.

A year ago today, the Raiders faced the Denver Broncos in the first game of the regular season. They had finished the preseason 1-3, but had high hopes believing this would be JaMarcus Russell would have a break out year and the running game would improve with rookie Darren McFadden. They would lose that game, 41-14. Less than a month later, with their record at 1-3, with that one win coming against the eventually 2-14 Kansas City Chiefs, Raiders owner Al Davis would head coach Lane Kiffin, sparking an odd, he said-he said situation in which Davis claimed Kiffin had done as head coach the opposite of what he promised before getting hired, and Kiffin charging Davis with undermining his ability to coach by trying to make team decisions without consulting Kiffin. O-line coach Tom Cable would handle the rest of the season in an interim capacity.

Under Cable, the Raiders went 4-8, getting shut out by Atlanta and losing to the previously mentioned Chiefs along the way. Cable would take great criticism towards the end of the season for his limiting of McFadden's playing time. McFadden would finish the season with only 499 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Russell, the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, would finish with 2,423 passing yards, 13 TDs, and 8 INTs in 15 games. Cable would be named full-time head coach.

The 2009 NFL Draft would again give fans high hopes, with the team having the 7th ovarall pick. The Raiders would select WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, largely considered the third best receiver in the draft but the first one selected. They would go on to select an SS, another WR, a TE, and three DEs, in rounds 3, 4, and 6. Also, the signing of Jeff Garcia had been looked at as a positive, since he would push Russell to improve, and would potentially compete for the starting job.

Since the draft, its been business as usual. Heyward-Bey went through OTAs hampered by hamstring problems. Training camp kicked off with an assistant coach injured by Tom Cable, in what has been variously reported as either Cable knocking over the chair the coach was sitting in or Cable flat-out punching the man. Jeff Garcia, who many hoped would add veteran leadership to the team and might mentor Russell along, was cut amid specualtion that Davis didn't want anything threatening Russell's position as starter. Those three DEs? Only one, third round pick Matt Shaughnessy, is still with the team. And now they've traded for DE/DT Seymour.

By contrast, New England has been the model of how to run a franchise, in any sport. Since the Raiders last went to the Super Bowl, the Patriots have been to three, won two of them, and have had double-digit wins each year. But their dominance goes far beyond that, down to a fundamental level that no other team has equaled.

The Year 2000 brought two important changes to New England. That year would be Bill Belichick's first as Pats head coach. That same year, Belichick would use the 199th pick in the draft to select Michigan QB Tom Brady, a player who struggled in his first two seasons in college, but started his last two. Individually, that season would be statistical opposites for both men. Belichick largely struggled, finishing with the same 5-11 record he had in his last season as head coach, five years earlier with the Cleveland Browns. Brady would begin the year as the fourth string QB, but would consistently improve, ending it as Drew Bledsoe's backup. It would be that improvement that would show the NFL how good the Patriots were the following season.

In the second game of 2001, a 10-3 loss to the NY Jets, Bledsoe would be hospitalized with internal bleeding, the result of a viscious hit by LB Mo Lewis. Brady, with career stats of 1-for-3 passing for 6 yards, would take over as starter. With Brady as starter, the Pats would go 11-3, winning their first Super Bowl. Brady would be named Super Bowl MVP. Over that same span to the present, the Pats have a 97-31 record, a 3-1 Super Bowl record, and the leagues only 16-0 regular season in history. With Brady lost of the season in the first game of 2008, backup Matt Cassell, who hadn't started since high school, would take over. Belichick played to his teams strengths that year, finishing 11-5 and barely missing the playoffs, thanks in large part to the resurgent Miami Dolphins, now run by Belichick's mentor, Bill Parcells.

Belichick's genius isn't just in the draft and on the field. Its in his ability to perceive talent overall, and his ability to look at the long term results. Belichick plays no favorites when it comes to his roster. His ability to see a player in his decline and get rid of him before it hurts the team is uncanny, maybe second only to the Indianapolis Colts. And his ability to get top value in trades is second to none. Despite having some of top records in the league each of the last eight years, the Pats have had a pick in the top half of the first round twice, five of their eight first round picks came via trade, and all of their first round picks have been hugely productive players for them. All except 2002 pick TE Daniel Graham are still with the team.

It is with this trade that the greatest comparison between the teams can be made. It first has to be looked at as what each team loses in the trade. Oakland loses their 2011 first round pick. A first round pick is a hot commodity for any team, doubly so for one that has been struggling. And to give up a pick two years down the road shows ownership expects to win with a team that hasn't proven itself. New England loses Richard Seymour. As stated, Seymour was a five time Pro Bowler. Despite tying a career high with 8 sacks last season, his stats have largely declined, along with his health. He injured his knee in 2005, and ended his 2008 season with a back injury before their final game. A QB or WR might be able to come back from those injuries, but when you're a DL listed a 6'6", 310lbs, and about to turn 30, injuries tend to linger. And a player that size with knee and back problems has to be a concern. His huge salary didn't help the situation.

So what does each team gain? Oakland immediatly improves their defense. They get a player that will make them better in the short term. Even with lingering injuries, Seymour is better than anyone else on the Raiders d-line. But there are no long term gains. After 30, injury or no, most NFL players skills decline. Seymour turns 30 next month. This is also the final year of his contract, and he has shown hes not afraid to hold out for more money(Seymour has already failed to show up at Raiders practice, though they claim its because he needs to work some things out with the Pats before he gets there). Even with Oaklands history of overspending, this could be Seymours only season there. By contrast, New England improves in the long term. There are no obvious holes in the team right now, so a high draft pick in 2010 isn't needed. However, with the CBA nearing its experation, young, cheap players may become an even bigger commodity after 2010. This one trade may have ensured Oakland's future failure and New England's future success for years to come.