Faceoff: Hope in Atlanta? Pro Bowl snubs? AFC card game?
Pete Prisco and Clark Judge of CBSSports.com analyze hot topics weekly.
| 1. Where is there hope for Atlanta? | |
| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
 It starts at the top. They have an owner committed to winning in Arthur Blank. He is passionate about his team and will do everything he can to make it work. Blank has made some mistakes along the way -- getting too close to Mike Vick for one, and firing Ron Hill for another -- but he is a smart man who will find a way to get it done. The two things any franchise must have to succeed are a strong coach and a good quarterback. The Falcons have to get one of each since it's clear they don't think any of their QBs can be the guy. They should find a coach who will instill discipline, yet still be able to relate to the players. There are a lot of good candidates: Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Jaguars DC Mike Smith, 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary and Titans DC Jim Schwartz. As for a quarterback, they need to use their first-round pick on one of the top guys. I like Louisville's Brian Brohm the most, but Matt Ryan, Andre Woodson and Colt Brennan all can be good NFL passers. |  Well, Bobby Petrino is gone, and that's a start. Watching Monday night's game, I was struck with the sensation that this guy doesn't have a clue what he's doing. How many head coaches allow players to run on to the field waving a Michael Vick poster or wear T-shirts that promote an admitted felon? Petrino had no connection with his players, and it showed. Losing him is addition by subtraction, so you can start all over again -- and here's hoping the Falcons do a better job of picking their next head coach. There are plenty of qualified candidates out there, but I'd want someone who knows offense, comes from the pros and has the respect of his players. Atlanta must build around a franchise quarterback who comes out of the draft, so find someone who can work with the guy and turn him into someone other than Joey Harrington. |
| 2. Pro Bowl voting is this week. Give me one player that fans, coaches and players might overlook who should be going? | |
| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
| I'll go with Saints right guard Jahri Evans. He is a mauler and might be the best guard in football. Now in his second season after starting all 16 games last year as a rookie, Evans continues to improve. Talking to one league scout last week, he raved about Evans and how impressed he was when watching him on tape. I concur. He's a player. But the Saints haven't been as good on offense which will hurt his chances. Plus in the NFC, there are some really good guards. Players like Steve Hutchinson (Vikings), Chris Snee (Giants) and Shawn Andrews (Eagles) all deserve Pro Bowl consideration. But Evans is one guy scouts rave about. | Green Bay's Greg Jennings. When you talk about Packers' wideouts you think Donald Driver. And that's only logical -- he's Brett Favre's favorite. Driver has 27 more catches than the second-year pro Jennings. He doesn't have Driver's reputation, but give him time. No, he's not close to Driver in catches, but look beyond that. Look at his yards per catch. It's 17.7, second-best among the NFL's top 52 receivers. Look at his touchdowns. He has 11, fourth in the league. Jennings is the Packers' home-run threat and a perfect complement to Driver. He won't make the Pro Bowl because the NFC is loaded at the position, with Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Larry Fitzgerald and, yes, Driver, but he could. And maybe he should. |
| 3. Who's the sixth wild-card team in the AFC, Buffalo or Cleveland? | |
| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
| I'll go with Cleveland. But don't count out the Titans. They have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, and if they win out they will be in the mix. But I think Cleveland will beat Buffalo this week, which is why they get the advantage over the Bills. They're also a better team right now. They have a better quarterback in Derek Anderson and they also have more weapons on offense. In time, Trent Edwards will be in the Anderson class -- yes, he's that good -- but not yet. The Bills have had way too many injuries and that will catch up with them. Dick Jauron has done an amazing job with his team, but their dreams of a playoff run will end Sunday in Cleveland. | Cleveland because the Browns are better on offense, have the easier schedule and get the Bills this weekend in Cleveland. The Browns score in bunches, scoring 24 or more points in all but one of their past eight games, and have one of the league's most effective quarterbacks in Derek Anderson. I like Anderson over Trent Edwards. I like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards over Lee Evans and Josh Reed. And I'll call Marshawn Lynch and Jamal Lewis a push, though Lewis is having the superior year. Dick Jauron has done a marvelous job keeping the Bills afloat, but there's too much talent in Cleveland to keep him from making it to January. Besides, after this weekend the Browns have Cincinnati and San Francisco left. The Bills have the Giants and Philadelphia. Over and out. |
| 4. Are the Rams doing the right thing giving Scott Linehan another year? | |
| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
| Yes. Linehan's team has been killed by injuries, especially the offensive line. That included losing Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace early in the season. The offense couldn't get much going without help up front. Then Steven Jackson missed time with some nagging problems and Marc Bulger has been bothered by a couple of ailments, including concussion issues. Add it all up one can understand why the offense never got going. The defense has had some tough games, but it is better than a year ago. Jim Haslett is the right guy to lead that defense. Give Linehan another year with a full complement of players -- or at least more of them -- and then we'll judge. It's too early to pull the trigger on his Rams career right now. | Yes, and it doesn't have as much to do with their injuries as it does with continuity. Unless a coach demonstrates the job is too big for him (Cam Cameron, Bobby Petrino), I'm in favor of keeping a guy for a minimum of three years. That gives him time to collect his players, get his message through and produce a resume. Too often, owners behave like fans, tearing up their coaching staff at the first hint of failure. That's wrong. Bill Cowher didn't go 12-4 every season in Pittsburgh. There were a couple of 6-10 seasons in there as well as one 7-9 finish. But the Steelers stood by the guy, and they stood by him because they had a conviction in him. Well, someone must have had a conviction in Linehan, so let's play this thing out. Let's see what happens next season when his offensive line is intact, and he's not playing Name That Quarterback. |
