1. Tell me the last time Mike Vanderjagt made a clutch kick. Uh-huh, and that's why Indianapolis would rather have the most reliable kicker than the most accurate. There is a difference.
|
|
| Brian Billick hasn't had the midas touch with Steve McNair. (AP) |
3. Next time I have someone read my Tarot cards, I'm hiring Miami's Jason Taylor.
4. It's midseason, and tell me Drew Brees doesn't deserve MVP consideration. He's thrown three touchdowns in each of his last three starts and is the primary reason one of last year's worst teams -- the New Orleans Saints -- are the team to beat in the NFC South.
5. Just a hunch, but I don't think Gerry Austin makes the Super Bowl cut for referees. Something about that fifth down in the Baltimore-Cincinnati game convinced me.
6. I didn't believe it, either, but Detroit's Roy Williams became the first wide receiver with four 100-yard games. Hey, give the guy credit: Maybe he knew what he was doing when he said what he said about Atlanta's DeAngelo Hall. All I know is that it was Williams I saw in the end zone, not Hall.
7. Just another reason to admire the Colts' Peyton Manning: He's 4-0 on the road against teams with a combined record of 22-10 -- including three division leaders.
8. Maybe, just maybe, the past two weeks will end the Jay Cutler for President campaign in Denver. If you're going to the playoffs, Denver, it's Jake Plummer -- not Cutler -- who takes you there. Barring a Plummer collapse, that always has been the plan. The position is up for grabs next season -- not this season -- with Cutler expected to take over. In the meantime, appreciate what you have: A quarterback who is 38-13 in his career with the Broncos.
9. This is what I liked most about LaDainian Tomlinson's performance against Cleveland: 84 of his 172 yards rushing were in the fourth quarter. So were two of his three TDs. The guy gets stronger as the game grows longer, one reason he's the league's best back.
10. Is there something wrong with Carson Palmer's mechanics? I know someone who thinks there is, and he's the quarterback of the Bengals. After Sunday's loss Palmer confessed that he's still not stepping into throws, which may explain some of those first-half throws that sailed.
11. Yeah, the 49ers aren't very good, but give them this: They're tough at home. Not only have they won games there, but they generally keep the games close. They've been outscored 122-106 in San Francisco but 116-37 on the road.
12. Marc Bulger is having the season of his career, but he's not the reason the Rams aren't going anywhere. This is: Over the past two weeks, Tomlinson and Larry Johnson shredded them for 50 carries, 355 yards (a 7.1-yard average) and three touchdowns. Unless you have Peyton Manning you don't go far if you can't stop the run ... and St. Louis can't.
13. It's time someone admit that Herman Edwards is doing a helluva job with this year's Kansas City Chiefs. All he's done is win five of seven games with a backup quarterback, including a road win Sunday where he started the second half without three starters -- including All-Pro guard Brian Waters.
