Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, BG, Geto, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward.
Good
Giants – Yes, they weren’t exactly playing a powerhouse in the Seattle Seahawks, but the G-Men continued their streak of dominance by blowing out yet another team. Eli Manning is looking like every bit of the Superbowl MVP he was a couple of seasons ago, while their defense, even with the loss to Mathias Kiwanuka, are shutting out opponents. In the competitive NFC East, they seem to be well on their way to winning another division title.
Raiders – Down 10-0 in the closing seconds of the half, with KC threatening to score, Raiders safety, Jeremy Ware, came up with a huge interception that seemed to ignite Oakland and carry through the rest of the game. During the half, the Raiders didn’t roll over or switch out QB’s. Instead they made some adjustments to their run defense and a commitment to Jason Campbell and their young WRs. The stuff you normally expect from a good NFL team, but this is the Raiders we’re talking about. We aren’t used to seeing it. A kickoff return by Rookie Jacoby Ford, then a short touchdown pass to linesman Khalif Barnes in the 3rd gave the Raiders the lead. Oakland took the game 20-23 in OT. Huge win for the franchise in many regards. Oakland hasn’t beaten KC at home since 2002. This win makes Oakland a serious contender to take the AFCW. They won the game with their pro bowl CB, Nnamdi Asomugha as well as starting TE, Zach Miller, both out with injuries. Epitome of a team effort.
Bad
Dolphins - Though they were playing likely the best team in the NFL, Miami came up way short of its expectations. With the offseason addition of Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins, led by Chad Henne, were thought to have a potent offense. Marshall has only 1 TD on the season, while their offense isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. It has to be frustrating for the Dolphins and their fans to look back on this game with so many missed opportunities that could have led to at least a more competitive game. A scoring opportunity arose just before the half but instead of taking a lead into the locker room, Miami all too characteristically sputtered in the red zone and settled for a field goal. This was the story of the game for Miami, a defense that was far too often caught off guard and ineffective red zone offense. The Dolphins now find themselves 2 and a half games back in the AFCE and 0-4 vs the league’s elite, neither of which bode well for their January prospects. Their defense isn’t too shabby, but they’re not at the level where they can overcome the offense’s shortcomings. At 4-4, they’d need to run the table pretty much if they want to take home the division crown.
Ugly
Cowboys – They’re just a permanent resident of this category. Outdone statistically about 2:1 or more in most major categories, Dallas was just steamrolled en route to another embarrassing loss. You can take your pick of which of those stats to key on. My personal favorite is that the Packers, who didn’t exactly run it down Dallas’ throats, had 3 players who out rushed the entire Cowboys team. This all lead to what is quite possibly the brightest spot of their season, the firing of Head Coach Wade Phillips. Sporting a 1-7 record, their season is obviously in the tank but new coach, and former OC, Jason Garrett should try to salvage something out of this wayward season. If not, Jones will be looking for a new coach early next year.
Carolina – Eh, we know, what else is new. The Panthers usually play the Saints competitively regardless how good or bad they are. Not this time. On the bright side, the Alley Cats got up early 3-0. The euphoria of the moment then overtook them. To be fair, injuries probably played a role. But incompetence played a bigger role. The Panthers were outgained by over a 2:1 margin. They were outpassed by almost a 4:1 margin. They were even outrushed. At this point, Carolina looks like the worst squad in the NFL by far. Buffalo may have a worse record, but at least they have been in the neighborhood of the win column. The neighborhood the Panthers live in is about 9 miles from the win column.
Lions – They were actually working on a “Good” as late as the midway point of the 4th quarter when they’d made another stop to maintain their 10 point lead, seemingly on their way to a shocking upset of the heavily favored Jets…but then all hell broke loose on the Silver and Blue side and you could watch their status melt down through neutral, bad and finally ugly. Some of the day’s ugliness was beyond their control. An injury to kicker Jason Hanson led to Ndamukong Suh’s first, and hopefully last NFL placekicking attempt; an XP that bounced limply off the right sidebar. That lost point obviously turned out to be critical to the Jets ability to tie the game and force OT. The injury to Stafford was problematic as well, though Lions coach Jim Schwartz made a major tactical blunder having cold QB Drew Stanton attempt a pass on third down where a run would have, at worst, taken another 40 seconds off the clock at best sealed the game if they’d picked up the first down. Stanton never got a chance to redeem himself or his coach as the Jets marched the ensuing drive (aided by a personal foul penalty) straight down to make the tying FG, and then won the toss and the game on the first possession of OT. Sometimes its amazing how quickly things can turn around in a game.
Honors
Jacoby Ford - With both main Raiders receiving targets out on Sunday, Luis Murphy and Zach Miller, the Rookie WR came through big in their victory. Two of his catches made the Top 5 Receptions highlights reel on ESPN. He also ran a kickoff back for a TD in the 3rd Qtr. And man is he fast.
Dishonors
Le’Ron McClain -I realize football is an intense sport that can sometimes lead players, in the heat of the moment, to do things they quickly regret when they’ve just been beat on a play and/or they are being egged on by an obnoxious opponent, and I don’t expect charm school graduate behavior out there but, spitting? Really? As if the act itself isn’t bad enough, any time you come out of a confrontation with Channing Crowder and make him look like the classy one, you know you have perpetrated some true nastiness.
Awards
Ciron Black best of the Good: Oakland. The giants and Saints blowouts were mostly expected. The Raiders were on the ropes in a key divisional matchup and everyone was warming up the “same old Raiders” style reports but they came through massively in the clutch. However, they’ve invited the Giants over for a glass.
Aunt Esther ugliest of the Ugly: Dallas. Embarrassed on Sunday night football by the Packers is enough to qualify their achievement of this award. Add in the fact that Dallas entered the season as a top five team with legitimate talk of playing the Super Bowl in their own stadium, now seeing them listed at or near the bottom of all the power rankings… Dallas should get comfortable with their ugliness for 2010.
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nfl week 9
NFL Week 9: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
November 10, 2010 - 10:36 pm · 0 comments
by Zack Kelberman
in Community Commentary, Weekly Segments
Many thanks to the GBU contributors (Team Ugly): Any, Arj, Ben, BG, Geto, GFC, Hannah, Stig, and Ward.
Good
Giants – Yes, they weren’t exactly playing a powerhouse in the Seattle Seahawks, but the G-Men continued their streak of dominance by blowing out yet another team. Eli Manning is looking like every bit of the Superbowl MVP he was a couple of seasons ago, while their defense, even with the loss to Mathias Kiwanuka, are shutting out opponents. In the competitive NFC East, they seem to be well on their way to winning another division title.
Raiders – Down 10-0 in the closing seconds of the half, with KC threatening to score, Raiders safety, Jeremy Ware, came up with a huge interception that seemed to ignite Oakland and carry through the rest of the game. During the half, the Raiders didn’t roll over or switch out QB’s. Instead they made some adjustments to their run defense and a commitment to Jason Campbell and their young WRs. The stuff you normally expect from a good NFL team, but this is the Raiders we’re talking about. We aren’t used to seeing it. A kickoff return by Rookie Jacoby Ford, then a short touchdown pass to linesman Khalif Barnes in the 3rd gave the Raiders the lead. Oakland took the game 20-23 in OT. Huge win for the franchise in many regards. Oakland hasn’t beaten KC at home since 2002. This win makes Oakland a serious contender to take the AFCW. They won the game with their pro bowl CB, Nnamdi Asomugha as well as starting TE, Zach Miller, both out with injuries. Epitome of a team effort.
Bad
Dolphins - Though they were playing likely the best team in the NFL, Miami came up way short of its expectations. With the offseason addition of Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins, led by Chad Henne, were thought to have a potent offense. Marshall has only 1 TD on the season, while their offense isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. It has to be frustrating for the Dolphins and their fans to look back on this game with so many missed opportunities that could have led to at least a more competitive game. A scoring opportunity arose just before the half but instead of taking a lead into the locker room, Miami all too characteristically sputtered in the red zone and settled for a field goal. This was the story of the game for Miami, a defense that was far too often caught off guard and ineffective red zone offense. The Dolphins now find themselves 2 and a half games back in the AFCE and 0-4 vs the league’s elite, neither of which bode well for their January prospects. Their defense isn’t too shabby, but they’re not at the level where they can overcome the offense’s shortcomings. At 4-4, they’d need to run the table pretty much if they want to take home the division crown.
Ugly
Cowboys – They’re just a permanent resident of this category. Outdone statistically about 2:1 or more in most major categories, Dallas was just steamrolled en route to another embarrassing loss. You can take your pick of which of those stats to key on. My personal favorite is that the Packers, who didn’t exactly run it down Dallas’ throats, had 3 players who out rushed the entire Cowboys team. This all lead to what is quite possibly the brightest spot of their season, the firing of Head Coach Wade Phillips. Sporting a 1-7 record, their season is obviously in the tank but new coach, and former OC, Jason Garrett should try to salvage something out of this wayward season. If not, Jones will be looking for a new coach early next year.
Carolina – Eh, we know, what else is new. The Panthers usually play the Saints competitively regardless how good or bad they are. Not this time. On the bright side, the Alley Cats got up early 3-0. The euphoria of the moment then overtook them. To be fair, injuries probably played a role. But incompetence played a bigger role. The Panthers were outgained by over a 2:1 margin. They were outpassed by almost a 4:1 margin. They were even outrushed. At this point, Carolina looks like the worst squad in the NFL by far. Buffalo may have a worse record, but at least they have been in the neighborhood of the win column. The neighborhood the Panthers live in is about 9 miles from the win column.
Lions – They were actually working on a “Good” as late as the midway point of the 4th quarter when they’d made another stop to maintain their 10 point lead, seemingly on their way to a shocking upset of the heavily favored Jets…but then all hell broke loose on the Silver and Blue side and you could watch their status melt down through neutral, bad and finally ugly. Some of the day’s ugliness was beyond their control. An injury to kicker Jason Hanson led to Ndamukong Suh’s first, and hopefully last NFL placekicking attempt; an XP that bounced limply off the right sidebar. That lost point obviously turned out to be critical to the Jets ability to tie the game and force OT. The injury to Stafford was problematic as well, though Lions coach Jim Schwartz made a major tactical blunder having cold QB Drew Stanton attempt a pass on third down where a run would have, at worst, taken another 40 seconds off the clock at best sealed the game if they’d picked up the first down. Stanton never got a chance to redeem himself or his coach as the Jets marched the ensuing drive (aided by a personal foul penalty) straight down to make the tying FG, and then won the toss and the game on the first possession of OT. Sometimes its amazing how quickly things can turn around in a game.
Honors
Jacoby Ford - With both main Raiders receiving targets out on Sunday, Luis Murphy and Zach Miller, the Rookie WR came through big in their victory. Two of his catches made the Top 5 Receptions highlights reel on ESPN. He also ran a kickoff back for a TD in the 3rd Qtr. And man is he fast.
Dishonors
Le’Ron McClain -I realize football is an intense sport that can sometimes lead players, in the heat of the moment, to do things they quickly regret when they’ve just been beat on a play and/or they are being egged on by an obnoxious opponent, and I don’t expect charm school graduate behavior out there but, spitting? Really? As if the act itself isn’t bad enough, any time you come out of a confrontation with Channing Crowder and make him look like the classy one, you know you have perpetrated some true nastiness.
Awards
Ciron Black best of the Good: Oakland. The giants and Saints blowouts were mostly expected. The Raiders were on the ropes in a key divisional matchup and everyone was warming up the “same old Raiders” style reports but they came through massively in the clutch. However, they’ve invited the Giants over for a glass.
Aunt Esther ugliest of the Ugly: Dallas. Embarrassed on Sunday night football by the Packers is enough to qualify their achievement of this award. Add in the fact that Dallas entered the season as a top five team with legitimate talk of playing the Super Bowl in their own stadium, now seeing them listed at or near the bottom of all the power rankings… Dallas should get comfortable with their ugliness for 2010.
You might also like:
Tagged as: gbu, nfl week 9