Author Archives: The Chancellor of Football

NFL Week 5 Game Predictions

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Proposed patch in memory of Al Davis by the Remember The AFL Group in honor of Al Davis' passing.

We are steamrolling into week 5 with a slate of pivotal games today. Now we told you to circle the week 5 Monday Night matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears back in May, so loyal readers shouldn’t be surprised. So we had a bumpy first quarter to this football season predicting games. Week 1 we were 8-8, followed by 12-4, 12-4, and 11-5. So right now for the season Taylor Blitz Times is sitting with a nice 43-21 record. Unlike other groups, we don’t take the 5 easy games to pick and try to look good, call them all and see what you can come up with.

So without further adieu lets get into the games”:

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers: With the 22nd ranked rushing defense having allowed 2, 100 yard rushers, this is a good time for the Titans to keep playing mistake free football an pulling off an upset. James Harrison is out with an orbital bone break. That’s not a good thing. Roethlisberger will keep the Steelers in it. If you look at the Steelers rushing totals, they’re not as good as years past. Titans

Cincinnati Bengals @ Jacksonville Jaguars:  The Bengals have been protecting Andy Dalton and Bruce Gradkowski with the run and Cedric Benson has rewarded them as the 6th best rusher in football. The flip side of that equation is they now field the #1 defense in all of football. The Jaguars come in with the #2 rusher in Maurice Jones-Drew and the same formula of protecting a rookie quarterback in Blaine Gabbert. They do field a more middle of the road defense and for that reason we’re going Bengals.

Seattle Seahawks @ New York Giants: The Seattle group is foundering under Tavarres Jackson just as we thought and are a junior league NFL team for the forseeable future. If the Giants can’t get up for this team and blow them away in less than 3 quarters, it will say a lot to how far the Giants have slipped since Super Bowl XLII. Giants

Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson talk to your offensive line. Here comes the 24th best defense in all of football. What most folks don’ t know is Beanie Wells is averging 5.4 yards per carry and has 5TDs so far. We think the Vikings front seven can slow him down. Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills: Could two teams arrive at this game so different from one another?? We asked at the beginning of the year if the Eagles were the second coming of the ’94 49ers or ’95 Dolphins?? Early returns are showing have them less than the Dolphins with a 1-3 record. The team isn’t playing with much confidence. The “Land of the Misfit Toys” Buffalo Bills are believing in themselves more and more. Even with last week’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals they led for much of the game before losing 23-20. It was a game they should have been on lookout for a letdown yet still played well….at home in Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium??? They keep it going today BILLS!

Steve Smith has resurfaced as one of the best receivers in the NFL and is second in receiving yards.

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers: This is going to be a fun game to watch….what is surprising is the Panthers aren’t really running the ball as much as you’d expect. Coming into this game, the Saints rank 2nd and the Panthers 3rd in offense and come in 14th and 15th respectively. Cam Newton is on pace for setting rookie passing records and the reawakening of Steve Smith is frightening. The Saints don’t have an answer for Smith…seriously that defense?? Panthers

Kansas City Chief @ Indianapolis Colts: “The I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Bowl” We have the Chiefs winning this one. The Colts played well for the Monday Night  audience to keep from being embarrassed on national television. Chiefs are better as a team. Chiefs

Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans: In memory of Al Davis, this team will play some hard rugged football. The Texans are out to show they belong with the AFC Heavyweights and Arian Foster will run for more yards than Darren McFadden today. Texans

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers: The NFL is paying for the 10-6 Bucs of last year not making the playoffs. They are playing physical football with a chip on their shoulder. LaGarette Blount is running like a new model of Eddie George where your heart better be in it if you want to tackle him. Josh Freeman and company go in and burst the Niners bubble today. Bucs!

New York Jets @ New England Patriots: After giving up 34 in consecutive games, this is a bad place for the Jets who stole that first game with the Cowboys. At this point you can’t pick against Brady who has thrown for 1,553 yards, 13TDs and 5 interceptions. Wes Welker leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards and with that much attention on him the Patriots have to find other receivers. Last January they didn’t. However with the Jets unable to run, they just give Tom Brady too many chances. Patriots

Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons: Have to take Aaron Rodgers and the Packers

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos: Chargers roll to 4-1 start

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions: Lions kill the Bears Monday Night

NFL Week 4 AFC East: See You At the Crossroads

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The AFC East has a Super Bowl favorite, a Gotham media darling, and a classic underdog who are all vying to be pro football’s best for 2011. Then you have the Miami Dolphins who lost their quarterback Chad Henne to season ending shoulder surgery as of Thursday. Where do the Dolphins go besides a rebuilding year now with their main quarterback out?? Then more important question comes up… Who are the New York Jets?? Are they the team we here at Taylor Blitz Times picked to win Super Bowl XLVI, or are they the .500 ball club emblamatic of their 2-2 record??

Right now there is a team to the northeast, dying to get some payback and deal the Jets possibly a crushing blow to their season in the Patriots. They have treated their first four games like a 7 on 7 passing drill with the league’s #1 ranked offense.  Do you realize this team is averaging 507 yards per game?? The New Orleans Saints are #2 and average nearly 50 yards less per game. YIKES! Is this really the time for a Jets defense, which has given up 34 points in each of the last two games, to take on a Patriots team averaging 33.8?? Tom Brady has passed for 1,539 yards with a league leading 13TDs while leading the second highest scoring team in all of pro football.

Last Sunday the Patriots beat the Raiders 31-19 behind a modest day from Tom Brady (226 yds passing) yet went to the ground game for the first time this season. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 75 yards while Stevan Ridley (pictured here) ran for 97 with each scoring once. They kept the ball from the Raiders with 30 carries for 182 yards in the most balanced game of the season. However their defense is still struggling. Campbell lit them up for 344 yards yet a few timely stops by the Patriot defense ultimately derailed the Raiders. In a battle of once beaten teams, the Patriots proved they were the more complete team. Now they set their sights on an old antagonist who upset them in the playoffs in the New York Jets. Think this team hasn’t had that game circled on the calender?? Think again…but let’s check the standings.

AFC EAST W L T PCT HOME ROAD DIV CONF PF PA DIFF STRK
Buffalo 3 1 0 .750 2-0-0 1-1-0 1-0-0 3-1-0 133 96 +37 Lost 1
New England 3 1 0 .750 1-0-0 2-1-0 1-1-0 3-1-0 135 98 +37 Won 1
NY Jets 2 2 0 .500 2-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 1-2-0 100 95 +5 Lost 2
Miami 0 4 0 .000 0-2-0 0-2-0 0-1-0 0-4-0 69 104 -35 Lost 4

Bills Fred Jackson is among the league's best rushers.

That’s right the Buffalo Bills were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten yet what have we learned?? Well they fear no evil and have gone after their opponents with aplomb not seen since Jim Kelly. When you’re down to a perennial division rival with 3 minutes to go and your first play is a five step, hitch and throw up the sideline for 40 yards, you’re not fearing anybody. Last week the Bills offense was slowed in a 23-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills were up 17-3, in a game where many felt they were due for a letdown after the emotional win over New England. Yet the #1 defense in football slowed the Bills offense down and rookie Andy Dalton led the Bengals to a comeback win. However the Bills are still 4th in scoring with 33.2 points per game. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2011.htm Fred Jackson is doing his best Thurman Thomas impersonation with 369 yards rushing, 4TDs, and another 13 receptions out of the backfield for 147 yards more. While Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 1092 yards 9 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. They now return to the friendly confines of Rich Stadium where they get to take on the back pedalling 1-3 Philadelphia Eagles. Its going to be loud Michael Vick, just warning you.

Which brings us back to the “Boys from Gotham”…who are they?? Well right now they are a .500 football team. The defense is the strength of this team yet has given up 34 points in back to back road losses to the Raiders and the Ravens. Those were bad losses to fellow AFC teams that will have tie breaker affects on playoff seeding at the end of the year. Now they have to take on a revenge minded Patriot team who is averaging nearly 34 points?? Yikes this doesn’t look good and it’s time to face facts. These three early road games were where this team was to establish it’s dominance. If they could have stood tall and stepped on the leaders of the AFC North and the strongest team in the AFC West they would be coming into this game with confidence and seize control of the conference. Then to put the hammer down on the Patriots would have cemented that point home. Once you think about their stealing their opening game against the Cowboys after a sluggish start and this team could be 1-3.

However they are 2-2 and have a chance to right the ship today. If they can ride football’s #8 defense to a victory against the Patriots they will have held serve that they may still be best in the AFC East. http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&defensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=2011&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=TOTAL_YARDS_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-n=1 Right now Mark Sanchez has been given free reign of the offense to be able to audible and throw downfield. He isn’t lighting it up statistically and something needs to be done with Shonn Greene and the running game. We know Center Nick Mangold has been out but the ineptitude of the Jets running game is derailing this team. Do you realize that after 4 games Shonn Greene leads the Jets in rushing with only 157 yards?? In four games?? Pathetic!! His rushing average is a paltry 3.1 yards per carry with Tomlinson averaging 3.0. These have to improve and they may have to get into a groove and give Tomlinson the ball first and supplement with Greene. Something has to be tried or they’ll continue to be undone by an unbalanced offensive attack. Will it happen this week in Foxboro??

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NFL Week 4 NFC West: Welcome To Bizarro World

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Coach Jim Harbaugh and the much beleaguered Alex Smith have enjoyed a good first quarter of the 2011 season.

What else would you expect from the NFC West?? After all this is the division that had a worst to first scenario in sending the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl. They had the worst record ever to qualify for that game and came within 3 minutes of winning it. Then you had the worst to first 2010 division champion Seattle Seahaws. They became the first team in NFL history with a losing record and make the playoffs. What did they do for an encore?? Promptly upset the Super Bowl champion Saints in a wild wild card game 41-36. Why are we bringing it up?? This wacky division is at it again.

Enter the San Francisco 49ers. A team that struggled to find itself under Coach Singletary is suddenly, the scrourge of the division under new commander Jim Harbaugh.  A division where many pundits pointed to St Louis as the best the NFC West had to offer are having to reevaluate. At 3-1 this team has shown flash in being able to move the football.  Alex Smith…who?? Alex Smith has completed 67.7% of his passes for 795 yards  4TDs and only 1 interception. Serious get off the floor those are his real stats. In Harbaugh he got what he desperately needed, a quarterback coach.

The cavalcade of Alex Smith detractors have fallen silent. Of course the season is still young however this team is moving in a direction and a purpose not seen by the bay since Steve Marriucci.

Funny how once you start drinking a winning elixir everyone starts to fly right. Haven’t heard a peep out of Frank Gore about being traded now have we??  He’s rushed for 275 yards so far but his 3.7 yard average needs to improve. They just upset the “Dream Team’ Eagles, who were desperate for a win, 24-23 last Sunday, to move to a 3-1 record. Many folks scoffed that they didn’t play anyone after a week 3 13-8 win in Cincinnati. Until you realize that the number 1 defense in the NFL belongs to those Bengals. Yet what is important is San Fran has been packing a defense also. Right now they are in the middle of the pack at #17, and this team is scrappy and not beating itself. They take on an aspiring heavyweight contender when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Two 3-1 teams putting the recent past behind them…who ya’ got??  OK, reserve giving your answer for the end of the week. As for the standings…

NFC WEST W L T PCT HOME ROAD DIV CONF PF PA DIFF STRK
San Francisco 3 1 0 .750 1-1-0 2-0-0 1-0-0 2-1-0 94 75 +19 Won 2
Seattle 1 3 0 .250 1-1-0 0-2-0 1-1-0 1-2-0 58 97 -39 Lost 1
Arizona 1 3 0 .250 1-1-0 0-2-0 0-1-0 1-3-0 86 87 -1 Lost 3
St. Louis 0 4 0 .000 0-3-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-3-0 46 113 -67 Lost 4

Cardinal signal caller has had a moderate start, yet 3/4ths of the season left, he could get hot.

Now why was this division article entitled bizarro world?? Well most of us so called experts had the complete inverse of these standings as our final predictions. Kolb in Arizona was going to bring the long ball back to the desert. He and Larry Fitzgerald were going to bring the offense the glory left behind in the 2008  & 2009 seasons. Now if only Beanie Wells could stay healthy…uh see what we mean?? Right now Chris “Beanie” Wells has rushed for 321 yards and 5 TDs and is averaging a robust 5.4 yards per carry. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/2011.htm Its not that Kolb has underwhelmed, teams are covering his only legitimate threat in Fitzgerald. He’s had to check down or throw the ball away. His stats look just like those that got him “Wally Pipp-ed” by Vick in Philadelphia. That withstanding he is still over 200 yards per game with 1,049 yet he’s thrown 5TDs and 4 ints.

Right now this team is suffering from glaring losses in Steve Breaston and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Breaston to help stretch the field and Cromartie to help out their 24th against the pass rating. Asking rookie CB Patrick Peterson to come in and be a Deion clone was foolish without a mentor. Right now he has 1 int, only 3 passes defensed yet leads the team in tackles with 18. What does that mean?? He’s getting burnt as a rookie yet makes sure to tackle the receiver once the ball is caught. Right now they aren’t forcing any turnovers out of their opponents and are a -6 in the turnover ratio or they might be 3-1 or 2-2. With their upcoming game with the Minnesota Vikings, this could be just what the doctor ordered for a tired pass defense. Funny that’s what Minnesota is saying about Arizona’s pass defense for the betterment of their team’s offensive psyche. If they can get to their bye week at 2-3 they can get back in the race.

The St Louis Rams have been sabotaged by injuries with Stephen Jackson missing several games and thrusting all the pressure on Sam Bradford. With the threat of the run, defenses underestimated Bradford last year and he lit them up. This year he’s been under fire with Cadillac Williams unable to sustain a consistent ground game. Williams is the type of back who’ll gain 0, -1, 1, then a 10 yard burst. So the average looks good but 3 drives like that and they don’t score yet it seems like he’s effective stat wise. However with Jackson back, they fell behind 17-0 to the Redskins and tried to play catch up with an an undermanned receiving corp. The Rams defense isn’t getting any rest during games and they’re getting pushed around. Last week they got shoved off the ball from the get go as the Redskins amassed 196 yards rushing. Not the recipe when you have a big back and downhill runner in Jackson. They need this bye week as they take on the champion Packers upon they’re return. Their season could teeter on that one football game. An upset there to build their confidence could fuel a resurgence. They haven’t played any of their division rivals yet either. We know they are 0-4, yet we remember when an 0-3 Buffalo Bills team in ’98 made the playoffs that same year. The ’92 Chargers started out 0-4 and won a division title back when there was a 5 team division. So it can be done. Can they summon up the strength for that game against Aaron Rodgers & company with two weeks rest??

See what we mean?? If the Rams can turn the tide and get back in the NFC West race, it’s Bizarro World all over again measuring against the first quarter of the season.

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Week 4 NFC North: Titans Ready to Collide

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Detroit's defense harrased and hounded Tony Romo throughout the second half.

If someone were to have asked you at the beginning of the NFL season: Who would be the last two undefeated teams?? There is no way anyone would have guessed they would be the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. Well the champion Packers yes but the Lions are roaring into the NFL’s collective conscience in a way not seen since the ’99 Rams. After over a decade of losing the Lions are on a tear. That’s right, 8 straight games when you include the last 4 to end the season and the first 4 of this campaign. However last Sunday’s win in Dallas might have been the most telling win out of all of them for the way they pulled it off.

We have talked at length about the psychological building blocks that make up a championship team. Understand this is a franchise a little over a year removed from losing the most consecutive road games in NFL history with 24. Now in back to back weeks the Lions roared from 20 points down to beat the Vikings 23-20 in Minnesota. Then with all NFL eyes upon them down in JerryWorld, they stormed from behind to win 34-30 after being down 27-3. What makes it one of those psychological building blocks we talk about?? The fact that they never believed they were out of the ball game and played with great heart. Detroit had to find a way to win with their defense and special teams forcing errors. Most great comebacks happen because a quarterback and his offense got hot. That wasn’t the case down in Dallas last Sunday.

Matthew Stafford struggled for much of the game yet came to life when he was needed to complete the comeback started by the defense. He threw for two fourth quarter touchdowns to Calvin “Megaton” Johnson, who now has 11TD throws on the year. Johnson has continued his torrid streak becoming the first in NFL history to start the season with 2 TDs in each of the first four games. Hell he’s on a pace to grab 32TDs. All of this while the Lions became the first team in NFL history to overcome 20 point deficits to win games. All of this on the road after setting the record for most consecutive road losses?? Yes, a complete confidence is growing within this Lions team that may become hard to extinguish, however the World Champion Packers are looming just over the horizon. Before we get there lets look at the standings.

NFC NORTH W L T PCT HOME ROAD DIV CONF PF PA DIFF STRK
Detroit 4 0 0 1.000 1-0-0 3-0-0 1-0-0 3-0-0 135 76 +59 Won 4
Green Bay 4 0 0 1.000 2-0-0 2-0-0 1-0-0 3-0-0 148 97 +51 Won 4
Chicago 2 2 0 .500 2-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 2-2-0 94 98 -4 Won 1
Minnesota 0 4 0 .000 0-2-0 0-2-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 77 96 -19 Lost 4

The WR/CB matchup of Green Bay's Charles Woodson and Detroit's "Megatron" Johnson should be worth the price of admission

Which brings us to the streaking World Champions, who are also 4-0. Aaron Rodgers has just made defenses look foolish with his torrid start to the season. His quarterback rating of 124.6 includes 12 TDs to just 2 interceptions and he has 1,325 yards passing. http://www.nfl.com/player/aaronrodgers/2506363/profile Yikes! After last year’s postseason run it’s a miracle he’s not getting more ink. Everyone has been talking about Cam Newton, Brady’s record setting start, Romo’s chronicles in Dallas, and even Matthew Stafford’s 11TD start in Detroit. Yet there may not be a team more reliant on their signal caller than the Super Bowl XLV MVP. Right now they are balanced with Rodgers at the helm. James Starks has 210 yards rushing which is supplemented by Ryan Grant’s 157. If Rodgers were hurt teams would come forward to stop the run more which is a no brainer. What has been overlooked is the fact that the Packers defense is ranked a dismal 28th overall and 31st against the pass. http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&role=OPP&offensiveStatisticCategory=null&defensiveStatisticCategory=TEAM_PASSING&season=2011&seasonType=REG&t    This would not be a good time to take on Detroit and it’s a good thing they don’t have to for seven more weeks. What is a problem is the fact that there are no big injuries to point a finger to and after a quarter of the season is gone, it’s safe to say they may not be a top 10 defense this year. Teams are forced to play catch-up so much chasing the new highest scoring team in the league. The Packers dropped an epic 49-23 beatdown on the Denver Broncos last Sunday.

Matt Forte has quietly been one of the NFL's leading rushers.

However to the southwest is a Chicago Bear team seething at the attention afforded their division brethren. Sure they fell to the Packers 27-17 two weeks ago, but that was a tough game and the Bears relish a rematch with their rivals. Although they played in last year’s NFC Championship Game, this team has been largely forgotten about. They just beat the Carolina Panthers and slowed Cam Newton, somewhat, enroute to a 34-29 win that places them 3rd with a 2-2 record. This Monday Night matchup with the Detroit Lions is where the Bears can show that they are still in the fight. A lost fact is the Bears have scored over 30 points twice so far this season, and take a guess which two of their four games they won?? Matt Forte has rushed solidly for 324 yards and 1TD and Johny Knox and Devin Hester have been decent with 12 and 7 receptions respectively. However it’s former Lion WR Roy E. Williams who should be motivated to make an impression in this Monday Night showdown. If he can’t get going in this one against his former team when will he??

One looming problem for the Chicago Bears is they’re defense is ranked 31s overall after a tangle with Cam “The Human Highlight Film” Newton. He did throw for 376 yards on the Bears defense and they need to shore that up. By the way…did we tell you that Bears defensive co-ordinator is former Detroit Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli??  Division rival…wanting to showcase that they are still an NFC heavy, and the emotion of Williams and Marinelli coming back to Motown!! Dammit Hank Williams for your comments about Obama being Hitler, but if ever we wanted to hear your “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??” It would be this Monday Night when the Bears travel to Ford Field.

The next time will be Thanksgiving when the Packers travel to Ford Field. Remember, late last year the Lions beat them in their 4 game winning streak. Shhhhh…food for thought.

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Week 4 Regular Season: Tony Romo- Conundrum Personified

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Tongue in Cheek Poster Placed on my facebook page due to Tony Romo's recent performances.

At some point an NFL team has to make a decision on it’s quarterback and it’s season. Are we going to win this year or are we building for next year?? Is this our quarterback for the future or do we look to draft someone new?? Well after four weeks, Dallas Cowboy fans are up in arms over the play of Tony Romo and the team is mired with a 2-2 start. The interesting thing is the Cowboys were well ahead in each of their four games and collapsed late punctuated by interceptions from Romo. Yesterday’s game squarely landed on Romo’s shoulders with 2 of the interceptions being returned for touchdowns. Yet this year Romo has had his moments. The win on Monday Night last week was one where he willed his team to win amidst injuries and having to play with second string players.

Yet what happened to a balanced attack?? Do you realize the 2011 Cowboys have run 40% of the time and passed 60%?? See for yourself: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/2011.htm Show me when that was true during the Aikman era?? We looked already..so surprise us. So which is the player in Dallas wearing #9?? Is he the leader that emerged in weeks 2 & 3, or the one Hollywood Henderson labeled a choke artist for throwing straight to Darelle Revis to end game one? That’s before we get to yesterday’s outing.

To be frank, he’s both. He has come back from his injured season more of the leader brass envisioned when they let Terrell Owens go several years back. He has to be the man by virtue of the contract they presented him. It’s his team and his late interceptions cannot be excused. Everyone of those throws he’d want back. Yet at this time we have to take a step back and figure if he is the quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys. Now when this season began we were critical of Romo’s attitude and leadership ability https://taylorblitztimes.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/2011-dallas-cowboys-preview/ and he’s grown in that realm. Now he has to work on not playing with nervous feet near the end of games. Is it all his fault?? He deserves alot of the blame.

Whatever happened to running  out the clock to end games?? Everyone is up in arms that he is no Troy Aikman, yet short sighted fans don’t remember that those 90’s teams weren’t throwing at that point of the game for Aikman to throw any late game interceptions! Case and point: Remember the famous drive in Super Bowl XXVIII when the Cowboys took the lead on the Buffalo Bills, and they ran 8 straight times and Aikman didn’t throw one pass?? You can still hear Brad Sham on the highlight film “Smith for 7, Smith for 3, Smith for 8, Smith for 9…etc”  Ask Jason Garrett because he was standing there signaling the calls in. Which brings us to the real issue…

Coach Garrett is the forgotten man when it comes to Cowboy losses. How much blame is his??

While it is true that a coach is to put his players in the best possible situation to be successful, it’s also his job to put you in a position to minimize your chance at making mistakes. What is the number one thing that Hall of Famer Bill Walsh was lauded for when it came to game plans?? He would pass the football early and run late on a tired defense. Not only did the 49ers base a dynasty off that premise, so too did the 80’s Redskins, 90’s Cowboys and 00’s Patriots with Corey Dillon. So that’s 14 Super Bowl wins by dynasties in the modern era. How about the 2000 Ravens who won with rushing the football and Trent Dilfer?? They threw vertical routes and hooks because Dilfer threw terrible down the middle and made poor decisions on out routes. So Brian Billick called plays that were his strengths and didn’t ask him to do what were known weaknesses.

Now let’s cycle this back to the present situation in Dallas. We warned you when the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray and were going to get rid of Marion Barber that they were going to be a true passing team only. https://taylorblitztimes.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/2011-dallas-cowboys-preview/ Did we not? Where was the heft to blow the Lions off the ball when the score was closed down to 30-27?? You remember when Dallas was pinned to their own 3 yard line with 5:00 to go in the game. Funny, our CEO remembers the 1995 NFC Championship when the Packers had the Cowboys pinned to their own 1 and Emmitt romped them out of there. Yesterday?? Two paltry attempts that couldn’t gain 1 yard from Felix Jones. Critical time in the game to run out the clock and that’s all the Cowboys could muster?? This illustrates why on previous drives Romo was still passing when the team clearly needed to be running. Had they been running out the clock the game would have been over in Dallas. Continued passing stops the clock and allowed Detroit the chance to get back in the game. Albeit off of terrible throws by Romo, but he shouldn’t have been passing that late in the game. This was the death knell to the Run n Shoot as an offense over a decade and a half before!! Systemic factors that leave blame squarely on the shoulders of Coach Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones.

The hiring of Jason Garrett was one for us that wasn’t the best decision and it’s showing in the game plans he’s presenting and not masking team deficiencies well enough. In the first game against the Jets, it had been noted and discussed, how many injuries the Cowboys had to their defensive backfield. The Cowboys kept throwing and didn’t milk the clock to protect their struggling with fatigue defense. Don’t you realize it’s those injuries and tiring defenders that make up the punt block team that allowed the punt to be blocked in the first place?? Coaches do!! Or should we say coaches are supposed to!! Romo and the team were in a panic by the time he threw his interception yet look at what set that up??

Its Garrett’s job to put his team in the best possible position to win and also to get word to player personnel (Jones) that he needs a running back to close games. He has to sell that to Cowboys brass just as he has to sell the gameplan to his players. What’s worse is he knows better. He was standing right there watching Emmitt Smith close all those games for the Dallas Cowboys. Many times during that era, Aikman wouldn’t even attempt a pass under 8:00 to go. So quit the Aikman / Romo comparisions because it shows a lack of football knowledge to all aspects of the game. Furthermore, as we watched the Cowboys offensive line not be able to create a hole or a push when they had the ball at their goal line illustrates something further. They aren’t even practicing true running plays enough. We keep using that sequence in our analysis because the team knew they needed to run and couldn’t do it. Moment of truth and they were knocked on their ass.

Tony Romo has to start throwing the ball away when the play isn't there.

As for Romo, he has played better and will flirt with 5,000 yards passing this season because the Cowboys UNDER GARRETT will not run. Not in the traditional sense. Just tricky draws and screens and not enough power plays to weaken an opponents defense. Hence the Lions defense was still breathing fire in the 4th quarter… yet I digress: Romo has to take a sack or throw the ball away when the throw isn’t there. He is taking some chances and making some throws that have put the Cowboys well in front. He’s maturing into a leader yet has to stop short circuiting in the 4th quarter and it’s up to his coach and game plans to aid that. Some blame needs to be placed there. Cowboy fans want to scapegoat all of the losses to Tony Romo but forget he was the central reason they won games 2 and 3. So without him where would the Cowboys be?? They’d be 0-4. Throwing in a rookie next year isn’t saving the Cowboys either. We watched the demise of the run and shoot for these exact same factors. It’s systemic. Know your history. Our blame is landing on Garrett’s shoulders more than it lands on Romo’s. How much?? How about the 60/40 pass ratio from before…Garrett gets the 60%

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Week 4 NFL Predictions

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Lions going for 8th in a row...will Dallas stop them today?

The NFL is upside down or hell hath frozen over.  Can you believe there are only 3 undefeated teams, and two of those would be teams that haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999?? Are you serious?? The NFL Champion Packers haven’t been playing at their best but they’re cruising along. Yet the Lions are nipping at their heels and have an important encounter today in Dallas. Before we get too late lets get into this week’s games. At the present time we’re 31-17 after two bounce back weeks of 12-4 & 11-5. so we’re starting to make sense of it all. Without further adieu…

Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals: Are the Bills due for a serious letdown after an emotional win over the Patriots?? We think they are but are the Bengals strong enough to knock them off?? We see a close game but the Bills will win a close one.

Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs: Adrian Peterson versus the 28th best run defense in the Kansas City Chiefs. Thomas Jones has to run at the Vikings but they’re defense is ranked #4 against the run. So it will come down to Matt Cassel against the Vikings rush with Jared Allen coming back to town?? Going Vikings gang….

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo had a breakthrough game on Monday night. He showcased leadership ability and willed his team to a win. However the Lions are the winners of 7 straight dating back to last season with most of those wins on the road. Calvin “Megatron” Johnson against the Cowboys secondary is a mismatch. First game for #1 draft pick Nick Fairley after coming back from foot surgery also. Pass rush has been a beast and the Cowboys aren’t the best at protecting the quarterback. Remember broken rib and punctured lung?? Lions win their 8th straight and headed for a huge Monday Night Game against the Bears. These boys are feelin’ it..

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles: Well the dreamteam super season is in serious jeopardy with a loss today. No wonder Michael Vick has been in the bacta tanks for the last week. His hand went from broken and he’ll be out four weeks to a mild sprain with two band aids. Fastest healing in history. Surely we jest but this is a game where Vick has to play like the Vick of last year. Especially after laying that egg against the Giants. Will Eagles lose 3rd of season?? Eagles and Vick in a close one.

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears: The Human Highlight Film is going into the Windy City. Now Julius Peppers gets to play against his former team. He will be fired up. Will the Bears keep Newton on the bench with their own long drives?? The Panthers have to get the running game going to get Urlacher and Briggs up to allow Newton to complete passes behind them. Don’t see it this week as Peppers goes off and Hester will come alive and take one back in this one. Da Bears

New Orleans Saints @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Can Jacksonville score enough to stay with the Saints?? This one looks like a slaughter on paper. Although the Jaguars have the 4th ranked defense, Brees has a field day. Saints in this one…

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams: Cadillac Williams just doesn’t give this offense the punch it needs in the ground game. However Rex Grossman and the Redskins did nothing to embarrass themselves on Monday night. We know its a second straight travel week, but going Redskins in this one.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans: This is where Houston can show that they are indeed one of the big boys of the AFC now. They had this game circled since pre season. They have Mario Williams ready to chase Roethlisberger all over Reliant Stadium and welcome back last year’s leading rusher, Arian Foster. This is going to be a high scoring affair and the Steelers stats are padded from playing two lackluster teams. This is the beginning of where we’ll think of the Steelers as an offensive team for the 2011 season. Today though it won’t be enough…Texans.

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns: Losing Wr Kenny Britt was a big blow to the Titans who have quietly played some good football. Cleveland by a field goal.

New York Giants @ Arizona Cardinals: Eli Manning threw for 4 touchdowns last week and gets to face a team that can’t cover anyone. This is one of those games where the Giants normally lay an egg. Antrel Rolle (The U), Kenny Phillips (The U) have played better as a secondary these last two weeks. Kolb to Fitzgerald should be slowed with Rolle a former Cardinal coming back to cover his ex-teammate. Giants.

Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks: The Falcons are looking to get back on track and should do so against Seattle. Falcons

Denver Broncos @ Green Bay Packers: In a rematch of Super Bowl XXII some 13 years later and missing Brett Favre, John Elway, Terrell Davis…etc  the Broncos travel to Lambeau and take on the Packers. Aaron Rodgers has been on a tear yet the defense has given up yards to the tune of being the 29th best defense in football. Yikes, but they’re still #1 against the run and thats what the Broncos need to do to win. Packers in this one

 New England Patriots @ Oakland Raiders: Two teams with identical 2-1 records. NFL rushing leader Darren Mcfadden will need t0 have a monster day. Tom Brady’s 4 interception day will be behind him.  In a high scoring affair, going to take the Patriots.

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers. Phillip Rivers should be licking his chops getting the Dolphins pass defense. The Dolphins rank 30th against the pass yet they got a break playing Cleveland last week. They should strive for #32 again as Rivers carves this defense apart. Chargers

New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens and Jets will play a rock ’em sock ’em affair with the boys from Gotham. Last week Mark Sanchez threw for well over 369 yards and 3 TDs in last week’s loss to the Raiders. The Jets did lead that game 17-7 before the Raiders came back to win. This is the game for one of these teams to make their move that they are a heavyweight for homefield advantage later in the season. We think it’s the Jets.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This should be a bludgeoning of biblical proportions. Don’t watch the carnage past the 3rd quarter. This week it’s Tampa’s turn to showcase their young team that no one knows nor remembered wen t10-6 last year. Bucs will slaughter them…