At long last, the belated week 9 edition of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly is here. Overall, there were only a handful of really noteworthy performances by teams. Cincinnati showed again the were a pretty good team and a force in the AFCN. They are 4-0 within the division now and in good position for the back nine of the season. Tampa finally got a win, albeit in a “colorful” manner. A few contenders did not distinguish themselves this week, and one is turning horrid.
So, we enter week 10 with two unbeatens and the question “how long will they last?” Neither was Good in week 9, but that happens. There are no more winless teams so the debate of who is the worst of the Bad swirls around teams that have managed to win a game or two. Week 10 has several intriguing matchups, one or two potential blowouts and a couple of games that could set the league back 40 years or so.
Finally, our individual assessment this week is very high level and probably quite incomplete. Unfortunately, this was a tough weekend for Team Ugly. I’m still not sure why we do individual honors (and dishonors), but feel free to fill in the gaps for us.
Welcome to anybody new reading the GBU. We encourage comments and discussion, which is the point of this thing. To join in our assessment of who and what was Good, Bad and Ugly, register at Helmet2Helmet.net and join our community.
Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward. And many thanks to you for reading our offering.
The Good
Cincinnati – The Bengals have been frequenting the Good this season – deservedly so. With a stifling defense, the Bengals looked more like the Ravens than the Ravens did last week. Cincy defended their home turf and held onto their half game lead over the Steelers for 1st place in the AFCN, handing Baltimore their 4th loss in their last 5 games. They dominated behind a balanced offense that featured the resurrection of Cedric Benson, who rushed for 117 yds and a TD against one of the league’s (traditionally) dominant defenses that rarely surrenders 100 yard rushers. Carson Palmer was solid, looking like the QB he was projected to be before getting injured several years ago. Even OchoCinco is playing well enough to make his antics entertaining instead of nauseating. So was their defense who held the Ravens to 215 yards of total offense. Thankfully, the Bengals didn’t need to rely on Chad Ochocinko’s cheesy bribery attempt of one of the officials. It was one of the few Bengal efforts all day that was insufficient for the task. If the Bengals can pull out a win at Heinz this week, they will be in control of the AFCN for the first time in five years.
New England – Facing a difficult upcoming schedule that includes road games versus the undefeated Colts and Saints, New England couldn’t afford a setback in their divisional battle against the Dolphins. Using a more balanced attack than they are generally known for, the Patriots mostly neutralized the wildcat offense of Miami Sunday afternoon in a 27-17 victory over Tony Sparano’s squad. An early interception aside, Tom Brady was his old self, completing 67.6% of his throws for 332 yards and a touchdown, while Laurence Maroney added 82 yards rushing.
Miami built some momentum to start the second half when Ronnie Brown threw a TD pass out of the wildcat to cap a 16-play, 66-yard drive that consumed 10 minutes of the clock. However, Brady and the Patriots snatched it away in a comparative eye blink when he responded with a 71-yard TD on a long bomb to Randy Moss just 1:36 later.
The win leaves New England 2 games clear of the Jets in the AFC-E, a cushion they might well need with a trip to Indianapolis looming next weekend.
Pittsburgh – The Steelers got off to a slow start on offense against the 6-1 Denver Broncos in the Mile High City on Monday Night. Despite being outplayed in the first half, Pittsburgh went into the half with a 7-3 lead thanks to a 48 yard pick 6 by backup safety, Tyrone Carter, courtesy of Kyle Orton. Denver’s defense pressured Roethlisbeger and moved the ball between the 20′s as it looked like the Broncos had a great game plan. But the Steelers vaunted defense never allowed Denver to get into the red zone, which was the key to the game. In the second half, the Steelers dominated and overcame a fumble returned for a TD and a rare Red Zone mistake by Roethlisberger. Big Ben and Rashard Mendenhall carried the Steelers offense and scored 3 second half TD’s to take a 28-10 victory. Any time you can go on the road (especially Mile High) facing a 6-1 team and come away with a win, it’s a Good thing.
Tampa – How could we not mention this? The uniforms were ugly, the offense did little to erase the bad memories forged in those uniforms, but the Bucs returned an interception and a blocked punt for TDs, and the defense and special teams managed to create short fields of 8 and 17 yards for two more TDs. All of this helped the Bucs overcome a 28-17 fourth quarter deficit in an unlikely win. Strange things happen in those creamsicle uniforms, but this time the strangeness was good enough to get the Bucs their first win.
The Bad
Baltimore – The Ravens were in the midst of a very challenging part of their schedules and failed to come up big against the division leading Bengals. Their infamous shut down defense is just a memory now, surrendering another 100 yd rushing performance and didn’t have much going on offense as they lost 7-17 on the road and failed to win a big game during this stretch. With the offense having to carry the team, too much is being put on Flacco’s shoulders and there may not be enough talent around him to pull out very many more wins. Flacco didn’t manage to reach 200 yards passing and threw 2 INT’s and no TD’s in this one. Baltimore also failed to produce a 100 yd rusher or receiver.
Chicago – The Bears defense surrendered 438 yards of total offense and 5 TD’s to Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals. There is nothing good about that.
Denver – Everyone’s surprise darlings of the NFL have seemed to hit a brick wall. Kyle Orton looks like the Kyle Orton of old and can’t complete passes longer than 10 yards. If they don’t buck up, they will be looking up at San Diego soon.
The Ugly
Green Bay – Surrendering 21 4th quarter points to the 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers is enough to land most teams on the Ugly but Green Bay made it worse by turning the ball over 3 times, surrendering 4 sacks, and allowing rookie QB, Josh Freeman, throw 3 TD’s on their defense. The only thing about the game that wasn’t Uglier than Green Bay’s performance were Tampa Bay’s throwback orange uniforms.
New York Giants –.Four losses in a row. Questionable coaching and bad defense may doom this team’s chances of making the playoffs.
Honorable Mention
Atlanta – It was very tempting to call this week’s effort against the Redskins good, especially at halftime when the Falcons led 24-3. It had all the elements: big plays on both sides of the ball, total domination and reestablishing themselves after a couple of shaky outings. But the Falcons didn’t show up in the second half, and their only real offense was Michael Turner’s 58 yard TD run. The final nail was the inert Redskin offense actually found the end zone twice in that one half. Had this letdown been against a mediocre team, it would be brushed off, but instead, it puts the Falcons here.
Individual Honors ….
Cedric Benson – 34 carries netting 117 yards and a TD vs. the Ravens. He played the workhorse role in a win that required a workhorse.
Rashard Mendenhall – 22 carries, 155 yards for a whopping 7 ypc average.
Ben Roethlisberger – 21 of 29 for 233 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception against the Broncos defense, helping the Steelers earn a big road victory.
Michael Turner – He had a big day against a Redskin defense that is not the weak spot of that team. 18 carries, 166 yards and TD runs of 30 and 58 yards to lead the Falcons to a win.
Kurt Warner – He atoned for last week’s debacle with a 22 for 32 effort, 261 yards and 5 TDs.
And Dishonors
Joey Porter – His famous mouth once again outperformed the rest of his body, finished his day against the Patriots with no tackles, no interceptions, and no sacks. However, in an ironic twist, he did lead all players in whining for penalty calls. Note to Joey: STFU and just play the freakin’ game.
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week 9
Week 9: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
November 17, 2009 - 10:38 pm · 0 comments
by Zack Kelberman
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
At long last, the belated week 9 edition of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly is here. Overall, there were only a handful of really noteworthy performances by teams. Cincinnati showed again the were a pretty good team and a force in the AFCN. They are 4-0 within the division now and in good position for the back nine of the season. Tampa finally got a win, albeit in a “colorful” manner. A few contenders did not distinguish themselves this week, and one is turning horrid.
So, we enter week 10 with two unbeatens and the question “how long will they last?” Neither was Good in week 9, but that happens. There are no more winless teams so the debate of who is the worst of the Bad swirls around teams that have managed to win a game or two. Week 10 has several intriguing matchups, one or two potential blowouts and a couple of games that could set the league back 40 years or so.
Finally, our individual assessment this week is very high level and probably quite incomplete. Unfortunately, this was a tough weekend for Team Ugly. I’m still not sure why we do individual honors (and dishonors), but feel free to fill in the gaps for us.
Welcome to anybody new reading the GBU. We encourage comments and discussion, which is the point of this thing. To join in our assessment of who and what was Good, Bad and Ugly, register at Helmet2Helmet.net and join our community.
Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward. And many thanks to you for reading our offering.
The Good
Cincinnati – The Bengals have been frequenting the Good this season – deservedly so. With a stifling defense, the Bengals looked more like the Ravens than the Ravens did last week. Cincy defended their home turf and held onto their half game lead over the Steelers for 1st place in the AFCN, handing Baltimore their 4th loss in their last 5 games. They dominated behind a balanced offense that featured the resurrection of Cedric Benson, who rushed for 117 yds and a TD against one of the league’s (traditionally) dominant defenses that rarely surrenders 100 yard rushers. Carson Palmer was solid, looking like the QB he was projected to be before getting injured several years ago. Even OchoCinco is playing well enough to make his antics entertaining instead of nauseating. So was their defense who held the Ravens to 215 yards of total offense. Thankfully, the Bengals didn’t need to rely on Chad Ochocinko’s cheesy bribery attempt of one of the officials. It was one of the few Bengal efforts all day that was insufficient for the task. If the Bengals can pull out a win at Heinz this week, they will be in control of the AFCN for the first time in five years.
New England – Facing a difficult upcoming schedule that includes road games versus the undefeated Colts and Saints, New England couldn’t afford a setback in their divisional battle against the Dolphins. Using a more balanced attack than they are generally known for, the Patriots mostly neutralized the wildcat offense of Miami Sunday afternoon in a 27-17 victory over Tony Sparano’s squad. An early interception aside, Tom Brady was his old self, completing 67.6% of his throws for 332 yards and a touchdown, while Laurence Maroney added 82 yards rushing.
Miami built some momentum to start the second half when Ronnie Brown threw a TD pass out of the wildcat to cap a 16-play, 66-yard drive that consumed 10 minutes of the clock. However, Brady and the Patriots snatched it away in a comparative eye blink when he responded with a 71-yard TD on a long bomb to Randy Moss just 1:36 later.
The win leaves New England 2 games clear of the Jets in the AFC-E, a cushion they might well need with a trip to Indianapolis looming next weekend.
Pittsburgh – The Steelers got off to a slow start on offense against the 6-1 Denver Broncos in the Mile High City on Monday Night. Despite being outplayed in the first half, Pittsburgh went into the half with a 7-3 lead thanks to a 48 yard pick 6 by backup safety, Tyrone Carter, courtesy of Kyle Orton. Denver’s defense pressured Roethlisbeger and moved the ball between the 20′s as it looked like the Broncos had a great game plan. But the Steelers vaunted defense never allowed Denver to get into the red zone, which was the key to the game. In the second half, the Steelers dominated and overcame a fumble returned for a TD and a rare Red Zone mistake by Roethlisberger. Big Ben and Rashard Mendenhall carried the Steelers offense and scored 3 second half TD’s to take a 28-10 victory. Any time you can go on the road (especially Mile High) facing a 6-1 team and come away with a win, it’s a Good thing.
Tampa – How could we not mention this? The uniforms were ugly, the offense did little to erase the bad memories forged in those uniforms, but the Bucs returned an interception and a blocked punt for TDs, and the defense and special teams managed to create short fields of 8 and 17 yards for two more TDs. All of this helped the Bucs overcome a 28-17 fourth quarter deficit in an unlikely win. Strange things happen in those creamsicle uniforms, but this time the strangeness was good enough to get the Bucs their first win.
The Bad
Baltimore – The Ravens were in the midst of a very challenging part of their schedules and failed to come up big against the division leading Bengals. Their infamous shut down defense is just a memory now, surrendering another 100 yd rushing performance and didn’t have much going on offense as they lost 7-17 on the road and failed to win a big game during this stretch. With the offense having to carry the team, too much is being put on Flacco’s shoulders and there may not be enough talent around him to pull out very many more wins. Flacco didn’t manage to reach 200 yards passing and threw 2 INT’s and no TD’s in this one. Baltimore also failed to produce a 100 yd rusher or receiver.
Chicago – The Bears defense surrendered 438 yards of total offense and 5 TD’s to Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals. There is nothing good about that.
Denver – Everyone’s surprise darlings of the NFL have seemed to hit a brick wall. Kyle Orton looks like the Kyle Orton of old and can’t complete passes longer than 10 yards. If they don’t buck up, they will be looking up at San Diego soon.
The Ugly
Green Bay – Surrendering 21 4th quarter points to the 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers is enough to land most teams on the Ugly but Green Bay made it worse by turning the ball over 3 times, surrendering 4 sacks, and allowing rookie QB, Josh Freeman, throw 3 TD’s on their defense. The only thing about the game that wasn’t Uglier than Green Bay’s performance were Tampa Bay’s throwback orange uniforms.
New York Giants –.Four losses in a row. Questionable coaching and bad defense may doom this team’s chances of making the playoffs.
Honorable Mention
Atlanta – It was very tempting to call this week’s effort against the Redskins good, especially at halftime when the Falcons led 24-3. It had all the elements: big plays on both sides of the ball, total domination and reestablishing themselves after a couple of shaky outings. But the Falcons didn’t show up in the second half, and their only real offense was Michael Turner’s 58 yard TD run. The final nail was the inert Redskin offense actually found the end zone twice in that one half. Had this letdown been against a mediocre team, it would be brushed off, but instead, it puts the Falcons here.
Individual Honors ….
Cedric Benson – 34 carries netting 117 yards and a TD vs. the Ravens. He played the workhorse role in a win that required a workhorse.
Rashard Mendenhall – 22 carries, 155 yards for a whopping 7 ypc average.
Ben Roethlisberger – 21 of 29 for 233 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception against the Broncos defense, helping the Steelers earn a big road victory.
Michael Turner – He had a big day against a Redskin defense that is not the weak spot of that team. 18 carries, 166 yards and TD runs of 30 and 58 yards to lead the Falcons to a win.
Kurt Warner – He atoned for last week’s debacle with a 22 for 32 effort, 261 yards and 5 TDs.
And Dishonors
Joey Porter – His famous mouth once again outperformed the rest of his body, finished his day against the Patriots with no tackles, no interceptions, and no sacks. However, in an ironic twist, he did lead all players in whining for penalty calls. Note to Joey: STFU and just play the freakin’ game.
You might also like:
Tagged as: gbu, nfl, week 9