Some Things I Want To Get Off My Chest
 

i don't usually do these, i know we have some regulars who do it every week and i don't want to step on anyone's toes, but i just wanna discuss some things. I don't post as much as I used to so I figure once in awhile is ok. I apologize in advance to the guys who do this every week, Im not tryin to step on your toes.


-Am I the only one who thinks Jeff Triplett is by far the worst ref in the league? I can't stand this guy. He's terrible. He made some terrible calls for both teams yesterday, and there are always an inordinate amount of penalties called when he refs a game. Especially a nationally televised one. I remember a sportswriter saying once (don't remember who), that Jeff Triplett just loves getting his face on TV, and wants to get as much facetime as he can get. I wouldn't doubt it. Why does his crew always call so many penalties? And why is his crew and himself wrong half the time? Even Madden said once last night (not exact quote) "only Jeff Triplette can make that call"

So I guess Madden feels the same way.

-Kerry Collins is the real deal. He's proven in the past that with a good defense and a solid run game he can be a very good game manager who can make plays when you need him to. All the doubters, I never understood why its unfathomable to believe that Collins can get it done in the playoffs. Why not? He's already proven in his career that he can. Collins is a winner when put in a good situation. He's in a good situation right now. And he's clutch. Yes. I said it. Clutch. He's made plenty of clutch plays for the Titans. His stint in Oakland was what it was: who can succeed there anyway?

As for the Titans, everyone compares them to the 2000 Ravens. I strongly disagree. We have short term memory as fans. This titans defense is good, but its not nearly as good as that Ravens defense. In fact, I personally believe that Pittsburgh is the best defense in the league, and they have the best front 7 in football, not Tennesee.

A more accurate comparison would actually be the 2000 Giants. People forget, the 2000 Giants had the 2nd best defense in the league that year. Strahan that year was very comparable to Haynesworth on that dline. Both defenses are built the exact same way. Even the offenses were similar. The 2000 Giants had a dominant run game, led by Tiki (Chris Johnson) and a disappointing pudgester in Dayne (White: although White is lightyears ahead of Dayne). The passing game consisted of short passes to move the chains, with an occasional deep ball (by the same qb none the less). Same TE by committee approach. To me, the Titans are a mirror image of the 2000 Giants.

-Ive been one of LDT's biggest crtics this season, but I have to admit, its not all his fault. Their FB is absolutely terrible. I never seen a FB whiff more than the one they have. The holes are there, but the LDT of today doesn't hit them with the same speed or cutting ability that the one we used to know did. The holes aren't as big as they used to be, but the old LDT squeeks through those cutback lanes. He doesn't do that anymore. It could be his toe, and we could blame it on the injury. But he's an old RB now, and has been injured for the past 1.5 years. Can we use injuries as an excuse at this point in his career? Chances are he'll always be a little banged up from now on.

But forget the running game for a second. What made LDT great was his duel threat nature. He's still a great pass catcher. But Norv Turner with his Air Coryell has for the most part, taken away his abilities in the pass game. They are very uncreative with how they use him in the pass game. He can be so much more dangerous than he is, they just use him terribly.

-Ive read a lot about the Matt Cassell hype, and I wanted to comment on it but never had the time, so I'll say my thoughts here. Matt Cassell is not Tom Brady and will never be Tom Brady.

I know some ppl want to say that Brady was similar when developing, but thats just not true. First and foremost, even when Brady was developing, his deep ball was much better than Cassell's. Cassell's deep ball is downright atrocious.

Secondly, people want to compare their similar dink and dunk game managing styles. But let's compare the teams for a second. Matt Cassell is operating with talent that Brady wished he had when he was developing. This is the same exact team that was the most explosive offense in NFL history. Thats what Cassell has to work with. Brady had a pathetic offense around him when he was developing. Who would stretch the field when brady was young to begin with? Troy Brown? Please. And remember he didn't even have a credible RB until 2 years later. The Pats RB the first 2 seasons of the Brady era wouldn't even start for 28 of the 32 teams in the league. So not only did Brady have similar if not better numbers than Cassell, he did it with infinitely inferior talent.

3rdly (if thats a word), Brady started in his 2nd season in the league. This is Cassel's 4th year in the league. He had plenty of time to sit and develop like Rodgers did, even with the lack of experience in college. Brady had to learn at a much faster rate. And speaking of experience, Brady was a proven winner the few times he was given a chance in college. Cassel didnt even play.

I know everyone wants to discredit Brady as much as they can, and a lot of people hate the guy, but let's be real. Brady is the ****. Cassel is not. Whoever throws a bunch of money at this guy in the offseason is making a terrible mistake. A lot of back up qbs can do decent with that explosive offense, having been in the system for 4 years. Cassel is not special.

-I honestly believe, that if Bill Cowher was still coaching the Steelers, they would be the best team in the NFL. The offensive design of this team under Tomlin is terrible. With that defense, they should pound the rock 50 times a game like Cowher did, and make Ben a game manager. Ben is a great game manager, let him be that. Whats wrong with being a game manager? I never understood that. Its all about winning, Ben is at his best when he's a game manager, let him do what he does. He's not the type of qb that can spread you out and score 30 points on you. He's not. And the team isn't built to do that anyway.

Where are the screen passes? PA passes? 3 step drops? The Steelers have a terrible offensive system that doesn't compliment their defense at all. This team should be a lot better than it is. Cowher knew what Ben was, and used him the right way. Tomlin is trying to make him into something he's not. Its not about fancy points, its about winning. Just win. Tomlin needs to go back to Cowher power. If they do that, this is a SB team. Their defense is ridiculous. They have more talent collectively then they ever did. Coaching is holding this team back. For all the praise Tomlin gets...i don't see it.

-You know who needs more love? Darrell Docket. This guy is amazing. He's the best 3-4 linemen in the league (apologies to Aaron Smith), and he's so versatile its ridiculous. He's a monster, he has the speed and pass rushing ability of a 4-3 DE, the strength of a 3-4 NT, and can play any position on the dline in both a 3-4 and 4-3. Justin Tuck and Haynesworth get all the popularity for their versatility, but this guy is just as good if not more versatile. Its a shame he doesn't get the attention he deserves.

-We all know that Ware and Merriman are the 2 best rushbackers in the league, but both Harrison and Woodley are slowly and surely entering the same level as those 2 guys. Both of Pittsburgh's rushbackers are amazing and can do it all. What a sick defense. Add in a blitzing Timmons at ILB, who is almost a rushbacker in his own right, and its impossible to block this front 7 up front or predict who's coming and when theyre coming. I can't say enough about this Pittsburgh defense. Its just freakin awesome. Thats the only word I can use to describe it. Its just awesome.

-I don't get Philly. I really don't. Before the start of the season, I was more affraid of Philly then any other team in the NFC, including the Cowboys. But this team is just an enigma to me. The only thing I can think of is the fact that McNabb and Andy Reid collectively are chokers. Thats my only explanation. McNabb is more talk than substance these days. And stop blogging McNabb. Just shut up and get it done.

-As odd as it sounds, the Jets might be the most complete team in the AFC. And an interesting fact: the Jets coming into this week have the 3rd most sacks in the league. And this is without bust to be Vernon Gholston seeing any playing time. If they can just motivate that guy and get his worthless ass to do something that defense could be special. And if they continue to commit to the ground game, who knows what could happen.

I lack faith in Brett Favre as a playoff quarterback though.

-Jason Taylor is proving to be a worthless pick up for the Skins. He hasn't improved their pass rush by any stretch, and if he's on the field on 1st and 2nd down, he's a liability in the run game. Teams will run offtackle on him if he's on the field on any other play other than 3rd and long all season long.

-Roy Williams should be Dallas's #1 WR, not TO. He just looks a lot more explosive and dangerous out there. TO is still a dominant WR, but he's starting to regress a tiny bit. Roy is the future at WR on that team.

-I loved the 2 TE sets they used with Bennet and Witten out there. That could be a very dangerous duo. The Cowboys have so much explosion on offense its not even funny. I was actually shocked they only scored 14 points. The oline isn't what it used to be, but they should still score more than 14 points. And give Choice more touches. He's a good player.

Is everything off your chest now? : P

Interesting comparison to the 2000 Giants. It makes sense except that was such a heartbreaking team. =(

:( Unfortunately I agree with you. Tomlin needs to take over the playcalling and get back to Steelers ball. Bruce Arians is a Mike Martz wannabe. I think Ben threw it 41 times yesterday. That is special ed. Should not be like that.

don't remind me </3

theres actually a lot more, i just can't remember it all at once :p

and i credit Ben for having great numbers yesterday, but the bottomline is they only scored 11 points. 2 off of a safety. against a defense thats been very average this year. at home. thats unacceptable. they need to get back to their roots. this team is good enough to make the SB. but theyre gonna need a dramatic makeover on offense to get there.

I still think the Steelers need a better power back to compliment with Willie Parker. I wonder if they might go after Jacobs in the offseason if we don't resign him.

Good read.

Firstly, yall would be silly not to resign him. Secondly, if yall don't and we get him. I would probably O on everyone near me when news has reached my ears.

Haha. On another note, more I see of Bradshaw the more I like him. His vision and agility is truly something special.

his balance is what makes him special. i think he's a special player waiting to explode on the scene. ive always said i rather give him touches than Derrick Ward.

and im officially sold on Jacobs. I hope we can resign him, and have him and Bradshaw as our 1,2 punch for years to come.

Resigning Corey Webster is our 1st offseason priority though. He's playing at an incredibly high level. Top 5 in the league.

I love Jacobs and I love the way he plays the game, but I just can't think we'd invest the kind of money he wants when we have more important contracts (Eli and Webster).

they have Moore who is good in my eyes, and they just drafted Mendenhall. Theyre not getting Jacobs. No way.

as far as talent on that team, theyre pretty much loaded at every position except oline. they should just draft olinemen after olinemen in this draft. they have everything else they need to succeed. that team is loaded with talent.

i honestly think their oline isn't nearly as bad as it looks either. a combination of too much passing with Ben holding the ball way too long makes them look much worse than they really are.

I never was a huge Mendehall fan and I think that Moore is just serviceable, but maybe I'm being a little too harsh.

As far as us resigning Jacobs, I just feel that it is much more important to extend Webster and Eli and that won't leave us with much money left.

Id love to keep all of them, but i don't see how we can do it financially. Order of course goes Eli, then Corey, then Jacobs, then Ward.

Butler is a FA, he's as good as gone.

Obviously Eli is staying, theres no way in blue hell he's going anywhere. But I hope we keep Corey. He's in my eyes, is our most important FA to keep (outside of Eli of course). They have to resign him.

We can live without Jacobs, but id prefer to keep him if possible. He brings a physicality and smashmouth attitude to our offense that you can't measure with film, or stats.

I am not a Jacobs fan. I do think he has improved with his agility, but alot of his runs he is untouched and that's our offensive line's doing. Watch the majority of Ward AND more importantly Bradshaw's runs. They make more things happen for their runs. That play Bradshaw ran was doomed again! Reminded me of the Bills game last season. He cut it back, with his head upfield, so he used his vision, found a hole, and broke tackles.

I like the physical element Jacobs brings, but alot of his runs he never gets touched. That goes to the offensive line. Still none the less he has improved big time. But never was a fan of Jacobs. I'd rather see more Ward and Bradshaw personally. I don't want us breaking the bank to re-sign Jacobs.

our run game is all about our oline. we can have anyone run back there similar to Denver in their prime. but also remember, a lot of times, when Jacobs gets a full head of steam, he doesn't get touched bc ppl don't WANT to touch him. Ive seen plenty of times people could get an arm on him and try to slow him down, but they just don't do it. Bc they know theyll get their arm ripped off. He's good. He's not the greatest RB since sliced bread, but he fits our team perfectly. Id prefer to keep him and compliment him with Bradshaw. I wouldn't mind losing Ward.

anyway come on guys, i didn't mention anything about the Giants on purpose, and all we're doing is talking about the Giants lol. we'll discuss the Gmen at our team board.

People don't realize that Demetric Evans is better than Jason Taylor on all 3 downs. Taylor is a joke against the run on first and second and he is honestly our worst pass rusher behind Chris Wilson and Evans. Evans at least has good hands, swim moves, and strength to pass rush, Taylor is constantly handled one on one, even on 3rd and longs. He is stoned at the LOS 90% of the time.

I hate the Tom Brady to Matt Cassell connections as well. Cassell has so much more to work with than Tom Brady. I love how the same people who argue against Pro Bowls always use Pro Bowl as a stat to say how good a player was. Troy Brown did have a couple fine seasons, but Randy Moss just broke the NFL record for TDs. Come on now.

ive felt all season that your defense was better without him compared to with him.

This week will be a big test for the Jets to actually see where they stand. I see the Jets as a slightly above average team, with the ability to definitely play above that.

With the exception of the Titans, there are so many teams within one or 2 games of the Jets. There still is no where near a guarantee of them making playoffs. 7-3 is a great start however. The last every other previous years they made playoffs they took advantage of an easy schedule. As long as they continue to do this, they have a good shot at playoffs. They have already taken 1 from each team in the AFC East, which is HUGE. The divisional games for the rest of the season are big.

I'm not worried about Favre in the playoffs. Jet fans should not feel comfortable sitting at 7-3, because there can be a bunch of AFC teams, AFC East teams sitting at 7-4 by the end of week 12. Playoffs are no where near a lock for the Jets.

I agree Jason Taylor has not done anything. He does not look like the all pro vet that he was with the phins.

Neg rep, no mention of the Broncos, who are 2 games up in the AFC west after calmly marching past the Falcons.

Taylor can still be salvaged as a situational 3rd down pass rusher. Maybe the injury is still lagging, which is holding him back.


The Jets, theyre an enigma like the Eagles. It wouldn't shock me to see them not make the playoffs, it also wouldn't shock me to see them make a serious push in the playoffs. Another Jekyll and Hyde team.