Mike McCarthy: 'You see Eric, we are up here, and you guys are way down here.' (US Presswire)
That's what we had in the NFL this past weekend, and I'm blaming the bottom of the league.
There is a lot of garbage down there.
Sift through the mess that is in that NFL waste disposal and you will find the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and others among the rotting food and smelly garbage.
The bottom of the NFL smells worse than Elizabeth, N.J. That isn't good.
What having so many bad teams does is leave us with Sundays like we had this week, which was just bad.
Now we know why Pete Rozelle dreamed of parity all those years.
Think about the early games. We had Colts-Rams, Packers-Browns, Patriots-Bucs, Chargers-Chiefs and Texans-49ers.
Get your blood flowing, did they?
The late games brought us Raiders-Jets and Panthers-Bills, bad matchups and bad games, and we had bad games featuring Bengals-Bears and Cowboys-Falcons.
Look at that slate. The imbalance of the league is not a good thing. It brings on a batch of bad games every week. Of the 12 games Sunday, one -- Houston-San Francisco -- was decided by less than seven points.
One?
Those poor blokes in England probably threw up their fish and chips just watching the Patriots blow out the Bucs. Let's hope nobody upchucked the "bangers and mash."
You sure you want the NFL, London?
For that reason, I gave all the teams at the bottom -- and you know who you are -- failing grades this week in our CBSSports.com Week 7 Grades for bringing the level of play in the NFL down and for making Sunday the worst one yet.
Patriots: Aside from two interceptions, one in the end zone, Tom Brady had a big day. He had three touchdowns, but the defense dominated here. Brandon Meriweather had two picks, one returned for a touchdown to lead that unit.
A
3.10
F
Buccaneers: Josh Johnson clearly isn't the answer at quarterback. He was picked three times and really struggled, save for a throw or two. The pass defense, a season-long problem, was that again. They might not win a game.
Colts: The passing game wasn't as explosive, but it didn't need to be. Peyton Manning was still more than functional. The defense got a pick for a score by rookie Jacob Lacey and pressured Marc Bulger much of the day.
B+
3.27
F
Rams: They aren't good enough to compete with the Colts right now. Marc Bulger struggled. Steven Jackson did run the ball well, but that's about it for the highlights.
Steelers: They didn't do a heck of a lot on offense, but with two defensive returns for TDs it didn't matter. The defense came up huge in the fourth quarter with those two scores. The explosive passing game never seemed to get it going.
B+
2.96
C
Vikings: The two big turnovers were the difference. Brett Favre had those. The offense had trouble for much of the game. They couldn't get Adrian Peterson going. The defense played a good game, shutting down the Steelers' big-play passing game.
Chargers: The defense, which has struggled all year, dominated against a bad Kansas City offense. Philip Rivers was good again, but that has been the one constant with this team. They had to have it, and they did.
C-
2.38
F
Chiefs: It was as bad as the score. Matt Cassel isn't very good right now. He was picked three times. The line can't block, which doesn't help. Rivers did what he wanted in the passing game. Horrible.
Texans: They looked dominant in the first half, but went to sleep in the second. Same for their passing game, which moved the ball well in the first half, but they couldn't get it going in the second. Owen Daniels had a big day with seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
A
2.43
C
49ers: At least they found out Alex Smith is the quarterback who should be playing. He played well in the second half and nearly rallied them. The defense continues to have trouble with the pass.
Packers: Who doesn't get credit? They did what they wanted. Aaron Rodgers had a big day, Ryan Grant ran it well and the defense shut down the Browns all day long, including twice inside the 5. It was almost too easy.
A
3.02
F
Browns: Man, they are bad. They can't pass it. They can't run it and they can't stop anybody. It gets worse by the week. Could Eric Mangini be one-and-done?
Jets: Can they get any better against a bad team? They ran it down the Raiders' throats all day, rushing for 316 yards. They also played great defense, starting it by forcing a turnover on the game's first play. Mark Sanchez didn't have to do too much.
F
2.81
F
Raiders: Why did we think they were going to show up here? JaMarcus Russell finally played himself onto the bench, but it didn't get much better. The defense was road graded. What a disaster.
Bills: They won this game with four takeaways leading to 17 points. The offense didn't do much, but it didn't need to do anything. The defense stole the show.
B+
2.10
F
Panthers: They continue to struggle on offense. Jake Delhomme is a turnover machine. The defense actually played well, but it received no help from the offense. This is a damning loss.
Saints: Coming back from 24-3 down says a ton about this team. That's character. That's talent. Drew Brees threw some picks, but he regrouped to get his team going again. The big plays were the two defensive returns by Darren Sharper and Tracy Porter. They were sloppy at the start.
A+
3.55
C+
Dolphins: You can't give away defensive touchdowns and expect to win against a team like the Saints. You must take care of the football. For a half, they looked great. Then it came apart. Chad Henne will have days like this in his first season as a starter.
Cowboys: Tony Romo and Miles Austin both had good days for the second consecutive game. Romo lit up the Atlanta secondary and Austin had 171 yards and two scores. The defense was the difference here, sacking Matt Ryan four times and pressuring him all afternoon. Patrick Crayton's punt return for a touchdown sealed it.
B-
2.90
C-
Falcons: They struggled to get the offense going, and Ryan was hurried all day. The pass defense, which is a concern as they move forward, didn't slow Romo. It's tough playing a team on the road coming off a bye.
Bengals: Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes and Chad Ochocinco caught two of them to get the passing game going for the first time this season. Cedric Benson had a huge day against his former team with 189 yards and a touchdown. The defense picked off Jay Cutler three times.
D
2.86
F
Bears: That was horrendous. They didn't even compete. Jay Cutler wasn't good. The defense was worse. The Bengals did what they wanted on offense all afternoon long. It had to burn the Bears to see Benson run wild like he did.
Cardinals: The Cardinals defense came up big in this one. The pick by Adrian Wilson in the second half to set up a touchdown was the big play. Kurt Warner made some big throws, despite taking heavy pressure.
A
2.62
C-
Giants: The offense couldn't get anything going and the turnovers were killers. The pass defense still has lapses that really hurt. Eli Manning just didn't seem to get into a groove.
Eagles: They had trouble on offense again. The line is bad, which makes it tough to get anything going. The defense, aside from the two big plays, actually played pretty well. The play-calling change didn't matter. It's about players.
F
2.77
D
Redskins: The two big plays on offense by DeSean Jackson were the difference. He is special. The offense didn't do much other than those plays. The Will Witherspoon interception return for a touchdown was big. A solid game.
As stated last week,NEVER mention Rivers in the same sentence as Peyton Manning unless you say Rivers sucks. Manning carved up the Jets defense for 377 yards and 3 TD and NO INT-the same defense that Rivers could NOT solve and threw the pic that gave the Jets the lead. Manning did not leave it to the kicker to win he game like that loser Rivers did. Rivers not capable of leading a team to anything
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What a waste of all that jack Manning is. I bet the Giants would like a redo and keep Rivers instead of getting Manning. I know, Manning has won a Superbowl, and Burress is not there but Manning is just not consistent enough. Rivers is looking far more consistant right now. No way Manning should be the highest paid player in the NFL!!!
The game was over when Norv decided to lay it down in the 2<sup> nd</sup> quarter, running up the middle on 3<sup> rd</sup> and 5 (when our avg run was like 2 yards) with 2:30 minutes left and then punting the ball was a stupid move, to me that series changed the whole game. Why not put the ball in the Rivers hands and maybe go into half time with a possible 10- 14 p
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Is Prisco the only one saying over and over and over again that the NFL is "all about passing." Look, the passing is game is great and fun to watch but I don't think it is the Superbowl formula. Sure the Saints, Vikings, and Colts have great quarterbacks and can put up points, but the Superbowl is about whose defense is better. The last two years proves my point with the Steelers and Gia
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I think it is quite apparent at this point that Brady is a great statue quarterback. But unfortunately for Tom, in the NFL today it is necessary for the leader of the team to be able to have at least minimal mobility. I saw some of his completions against the Ravens and he literally had the day. However; whenever pressured, he made very poor decisions and threw the ball into cove
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"Facts are facts. Favre gagged in the fourth quarter Sunday, and now the Vikings aren't undefeated anymore. He threw for 334 yards, but two fourth-quarter turnovers for scores were what lost this game.
Free pass? Not here.
On the first turnover, Favre held the ball too long and Steelers defensive end
Seriously, did you want them to go for it on 4th and 11 from the Dallas 32? Were you watching the game? The Eagles O-line was not going to hold up on an obvious passing down like that. At least with the field goal, the Eagles got to kick the ball, and if the D mans up and stops somebody then they get the ball back with 2 minutes left with a chance to run the 2 min offense.
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I am not sure how to look at this playoff picture for the Ravens. They have shown life in many games this season like the dropped pass in NE, missed FG against Minn, or the close game against Pitt and Indy. I think if they wake up they could be a huge threat. What does everyone else think??
Typical response form certain type of sports reportere. Prisco incures this double standard of Sean Paton not being thick skinned about opinions fron the media to the fact that they're rusty down the stretch, yet obviously Payton's one little tongue in cheek comment obviously upset Prisco enough where he has to dedicate his entire lead in to it, instead instad of focusing on the Saints p
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Really Prisco? So after your month-long lovefest with the Cowboys, you're not even going to bring up how wrong you were? You're just going to move on to hopping on the Saints bandwagon?
Look, I hope the Saints win this weekend, very badly in fact. But Prisco has been loving the Cowboys and hating Favre all year long. He has writt
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Come on man, pick the Vikings to win... Most of the teams you pick to win, lose! I want the Saints to win it all so that Drew Brees won't have any trouble getting to the Hall of Fame. You sportswriters seem to think that a team accomplishment is needed to get an individual into the HOF.
Pete - you successfully picked 1 game out of 4 - your grade is 25% and we're going to have to hold you back for another year... your mom will need to sign the report card and send it back.
The Saints receive an "A+" for their "stout" defense which gave up an average of 410 yds in previous 5 reg season games. First play of game for Cardinals was a 79-yd TD run&nb
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I don't know if Prisco is grading on curves here or not, but I have a hard time figuring out how he grades like he does. I am just glad he never was a real teacher, otherwise students would be developing some serious complexes.
Can anyone explain to me why the Ravens and the Cowboys don't get an F?
I know it really doesn't matter since the games are over, and
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Once again Rivers proved he cannot carry a team and cannot win when the chips are on the table. He cannot carry Peyton's jock. The trade by the Giants for Eli has proved to be correct. Idiot Prisco said that San Diego would get the better of Rivers-Eli Manning trade. WRONG! How many rings does Rivers have? NONE! All Charger fans want Brees back. Rivers is a loud mouth,arrogant jerk that will NEVER
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Prissy...what's up with your grading of the Saints and the Vikings? You give the Saints an A+, but only an A to the Vikings. Why?
Weren't you writing the past 2 weeks about how great the Cowboys are and they are the best team in the NFC? And their defense had finally got to the point of being the best and being able to shut down any offense. Where was that defens
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