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Ring Of Honor

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This is why I can’t stand ESPN’s Sunday Night crew and why I’ve dubbed them “The Three Chuckleheads.” They’re just so damn simple. Every game, they follow a single storyline or player. No matter what happens on the field, they reference that one single story. This week, it was Tedy Bruschi’s return to the New England Patriots. Everything was about Bruschi. When the Patriots offense was on the field, they’d compare the Colts’ linebackers to Bruschi. It’s like they’re not smart enough to think on their feet, so they just keep coming back to the same lines about Tedy Bruschi. It really undermines the whole broadcast.

I love how the fan who ran out onto the field during the Packers-Bengals game has pled innocent. Is he asserting that we all imagined what the networks have shown over and over and over again: a guy running out onto the field, taking the ball from a bewildered Brett Favre and then running toward the Bengals’ end zone? I can only imagine he’s pleading innocent due to insanity.

How they’ll be ranked in January:

1) Indianapolis. Now we’re finally going to see if this team can beat a good team. They’ve only beaten one team over .500, and they’re 4-3. Five of their last nine games are against such teams.

2) Cincinnati. They’re winning ugly, but they’re winning.

3) New York Giants. They look great at home; given they have nine home games this season, that’s a good thing. The inspiration of Wellington Mara is going to stick with them for a while.

4) Atlanta. With an oft-unhealthy Mike Vick, backup QB Matt Schaub could be the league’s MVB – most valuable backup.

5) Dallas. I just didn’t think Drew Bledsoe would be playing this well.

6) Jacksonville. Quietly winning big games, they are entering a lighter part of their schedule.

7) Pittsburgh. Something just doesn’t look right about this team, but I also said that through 15 straight wins last year.

8) Kansas City. Yes, they lost this weekend. But, I still think they’re looking better and they’ll click by the end of November.

My flag football team continues to roll. I don’t understand why. Yes, we’ve got some very good athletes. But, my team is the only undefeated team, at 5-0. We’ve outscored our opponents, 169-32. I find it hard to believe that we’re that much better than our opponents; but, for whatever reason, we’ve got what Marty Schottenheimer would call “the gleam.” Our last three regular-season games are gonna be tough; two of them are against the teams now ranked second and third. Here’s hoping . . . .

--The best official’s call ever came from head ref Ron Winter in the first half of the Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game on Sunday night: 

“Delay of game, offense. Performing an unnatural act not common to the game in an attempt to get the offense to false-start.” 

Said ESPN’s Paul Maguire: “That sounded a little obscene to me.” Alas, we never did get to see the unnatural act, though if it involved Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel we would have been very interested. 

--It was the perfect storm: Phil Simms calling a game in sunny San Diego where the buff Ed Hochuli was head referee. We’ve heard Phil wax eloquent many times about Hochuli’s, but on Sunday Simms didn’t take the bait. There were many shots from CBS of the Guns calling a penalty, but Simms never commented. It was a bigger upset than the 49ers beating the Buccaneers. 

Simms was enamored, though, by young Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Jared Allen. He made several references to the player he called “Big Hoss.” And Simms made his almost-obligatory mention of a player’s physique (see list here): “We met [Allen] last night and he’s one impressive physical-looking player.”

--Buffalo lost to New England, 21-16, and had one of those calls that leaves you scratching your head. The Bills faced a 4th-and-7 on their final drive and needed a first down or the game was over. Logic would dictate any pass needs to go at least seven yards to make sure the first down is achieved, but logic escaped the Bills. QB Kelly Holcomb for some reason threw a 3-yard pass to Eric Moulds along the sidelines, who was immediately tackled. It was a bizarre call and one you see almost every week in the NFL.

--Brett Favre is a certain first-ballot of Hall of Famer but against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Green Bay Packers quarterback played a lot more like a rookie. He threw five interceptions, the most he’s ever tossed in a regular season game.  

Favre totally blew it on what turned out to be the game’s final play. He had just been sacked at the Bengals’ 28, with Green Bay down 21-14, out of timeouts and the clock running under 10 seconds. He quickly got to the line and appeared ready to spike the ball and give Green Bay one more play.

But for some reason Favre faked the spike. He even faked out his own receivers, since none of them ran downfield. Farve started running, got past the line of scrimmage and threw an illegal pass which essentially ended the game. Dumb. If you do a fake spike, at least somehow let one of your receivers know with some prearranged signal. 

--In Favre's defense, he was playing shorthanded and still almost brought the Pack back. Offensive starters or key backups Javon Walker, Robert Ferguson, Terrence Murphy, David Martin, Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport were all out.

--A few plays earlier there was a bizarre play when a fan clad in orange ran onto the field and grabbed the ball from Favre as he stepped back to pass (the play had already been blown dead when the officials saw the fan). The fan then sprinted about 50 yards before being tackled. Great security, Cincinnati! 

The Packers did not use the fan interference as an excuse, even though it stopped the game when Green Bay was moving. The Bengals, though, did realize they got a break. "That did slow it down and give us a chance to huddle, and we kind of came together as a defense,'' linebacker Brian Simmons said. "But you don't want to see that because somebody could get hurt.'' 

Said Green Bay fullback William Henderson: "I'll leave that up to the league, but there needs to be security felt by the players. For a man to take the ball out of our quarterback's hands shows there was a gap in security somewhere.'' 

--The Bengals have beaten three NFC North teams this season and their defense recorded five interceptions in each game. 

--Said Fox’s Bill Maas to broadcast partner Sam Rosen about Bengals receiver Chad Johnson: “Sam, he came into our meeting bare-chested the other day and was hugging you.”   

--ESPN can get on my nerves quite easily with their extensive hyping of themselves and whatever game they are showing. They had the good luck (for them, not viewers) Sunday night to have Buffalo and New England, which featured the return of Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, eight months after he suffered a stroke.

Yes, it's an inspirational story. Yes, Bruschi played well. But ESPN treated it as if Bruschi had had both legs and one arm amputated and was playing with prosthetics. Twice someone was yammering about Bruschi with live action going on when key turnovers occurred, a TV no-no. Save the canned interviews and sideline reports for stoppages in play.

--RIP, Wellington Mara. All I can say is that the  humble New York Giants owner would have been embarrassed to hear every talking head yakking about his death. Enough already!

--With the season almost halfway over I have no clue as to which is the best team in the NFC. How about defending champion Philadelphia? Nope. They got blasted 49-21 on Sunday at Denver and allowed 564 yards. Philly can’t run the ball, Donovan McNabb is clearly hurt and now the defense is shaky. They won several games on guts but were exposed on Sunday. 

--The 5-2 New York Giants may be the NFC’s top dog, at least this week. Inspired following the death of Mara, the Giants crushed Washington, 36-0. They are 5-0 at home (there “road” game against New Orleans was at Giants Stadium) but 0-2 on the road, and their schedule gets tougher later in November.

--Tampa Bay entered the week 5-1, but suffered an embarrassing 15-10 loss to San Francisco, which entered the game 1-5. The 49ers were reduced by injuries to using the unknown Cody Pickett at quarterback. Tampa, minus quarterback Brain Griese, looks headed for a fall.

--How far down on the QB depth chart was Pickett? He was fourth string. Here is how AP described his debut: "Pickett, who qualified for three National Rodeo Finals as a teenager, has endeared himself to his teammates with his special-teams adventures. He seems good at it, too. In fact, he tackled punt returner Mark Jones 32 seconds before he stepped behind center."

--At 4-3, the Chicago Bears stand alone at the top of the NFC North following their 19-13 overtime win at Detroit. So much for Jeff Garcia being the answer at quarterback for the Lions, replacing Joey Harrington. Garcia threw an awful interception in OT that Charles Tillman returned 22 yards for the game-winning score. The Bears have to be considered a solid favorite to win the division. Detroit's problem is not Garcia or Harrington, but rather a terrible offensive line that can't open holes for runners or buy their quarterbacks enough time in the pocket.

--Hottest player I saw Sunday was Rams receiver Kevin Curtis. He's one of those guys whose headshot does not do him justice. The fact that he caught an 83-yard TD pass and I have him on my fantasy team didn’t hurt either. 

--Denver is 6-2 but the Broncos have already played five home games (5-0) and have five tough road games down the stretch, at San Diego, Oakland, Kansas City, Dallas and Buffalo. I’m still not convinced the Broncos will be there by season’s end. 

--Jacksonville is a team that seems to play up or down to the level of the competition. The Jags beat Cincinnati and won at Pittsburgh. So explain how they went to St. Louis and lost to a Rams team missing its coach, quarterback and two starting receivers? 

My Top 5: 

1. Indianapolis (7-0): This is how their season is going -- they have a bye and pick up a half-game in the division. 

2. Pittsburgh (4-2): Can any team other than the Patriots beat Big Ben. 

3. Denver (6-2): Can the Broncos stick anybody in the backfield and run for 100 yards? 

4. San Diego (4-4): It’s baffling how a team this loaded has lost four games. 

5. Cincinnati (6-2): Here’s what I didn’t like about the Bengals Sunday. They were playing a battered Green Bay team and got five turnovers, but still had to hang on at the end.