What about Bob?

Before we begin, a special thanks to blog maestro Mark La Monica, who has introduced Glauber Nation to the always fun "caption contest" that we absolutely love.

Now enjoy the best and worst of Week 15 in the NFL.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo" »

The best and worst of Week 14. And more free advertising for Bob Mantz.

Giant of the week: Kevin Dockery, CB. His 71-yard touchdown return off a blocked field goal on the final play of the second quarter was the only highlight for the Giants in a 20-14 loss to the Iggles.

Jet of the week: David Harris, LB. Finally healthy again, Harris had a team-high eight tackles and five assists. He was about the only bright spot in a desultory performance by the Jets.

Offensive player of the week: Wes Welker, WR, Patriots. With a season-high 12 catches for 134 yards, Welker was the offensive star for a Patriots team that orchestrated a clutch comeback to beat Seattle 24-21 and pull into a three-way tie for the top spot in the AFC East.

Defensive player of the week: DeShea Townsend, CB, Stillers. His 26-yard TD return off an interception sealed Pittsburgh’s win over the Cowboys and allowed the Giants to clinch the NFC East despite losing to the Iggles.

December Fade award: Cowboys. Coming into Sunday’s game against the Stillers, the Pokes were a combined 18-36 in December/January games over the last 11 seasons, which dates back to the last time they won a playoff game. They faded down the stretch against the Stillers, as Tony Romo’s late INT sealed their fate.

Ya Gotta Believe award: The Cardinals. For all their years of dubious achievements, the Cardinals actually won a divisional title for the first time in 33 years by drubbing the Rams 34-10. They’d had just one winning season over the previous 24 years. Will it be enough to convince Chicago Norm to welcome the Cardinals back into his good graces? We’ll see. For years, CN’s quote about the Cardinals has been: “The Cardinals are dead to me.”

Doomsday Award: Lions. They continue to find new ways to lose, and are only three losses away from becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. This time, it was a 20-16 home loss to the Vikings. With games remaining at Indy, home to New Orleans and at Green Bay, the chances are pretty good that they’ll pull it off.

Bottom fell out award: Packers’ defense. We’ve studied the offensive struggles throughout Year 1 of the Post-Favre Era, but what the heck happened to the defense? The Packers gave up 549 yards against Houston, for goodness sake. They made Matt Schaub look like … well … Brett Favre as the Texans won 24-21.

Comeback player of the year, Part 2. Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins. He’s already won the award after coming back from shoulder surgery. But now that he has the Dolphins at 8-5 after a 1-15 season, he could very well win the award again. (Thanks to T-Rock for that one.)

Kerplunk award, Part 1: Bills. They’re 6-7 and going nowhere. Were they really 5-1 at one point?

Kerplunk award, Part 2: Redskins. They’re 7-6 and going nowhere. Where they really 4-1 at one point?

Unsung hero: Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints. A no-name backup until Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister got hurt, Thomas has emerged as the Saints’ go-to guy. He rushed for 102 yards and two TDs in yesterday’s 29-25 win over the Falcons to keep the Saints’ playoff hopes alive.

Streaking award: Colts. At 3-4, it looked like their seasons was just about over. But six straight wins later, the Colts are the hottest team in the AFC. (We’re very happy about that, too, because we picked a Colts-Giants Super Bowl before the season.)

Rookie of the week: Chris Johnson, RB, Titans. He rushed for 136 yards and a TD in Tennessee’s romp over the Browns, as the Titans clinched the AFC South for the first time since 2002.

Where’s-a-fig-leaf-when-you-need-it award: Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Vikings. Of course, he created a huge buzz yesterday when FOX accidentally showed his … um … yeah … in the post-game locker room. But before that, he caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season. That is exactly four more than Shockey has scored for the Saints this season.

Bob Mantz Power Rankings award: Bob Mantz. Mantz has somehow figured out a winning percentage for his power rankings vs. my power rankings, and he apparently kicked my a*s yesterday. Well done. It's another excuse for him to link to this blog, and me to link to his. Incidentally, I notice his page views has spiked in recent weeks - or just about the time we suspected psychadelics might have been used to make his power rankings. Whatever. Life's all about page views now.

Life's all about blog comments, too, but Mantz is unwilling to allow his readers to post comments on his blog. C'mon, Mantz. Get with the program.

The best and worst of Week 13:

(Warning to Stillers fans: I was very, very impressed with your team yesterday. In fact, ever since picking the Patriots, I was second-guessing that decision, purely from a matchups perspective. Oh, well. See you in Tampa!)

Giant of the week: Justin Tuck, DE. He had six tackles and two sacks to lead a Giants’ defense that held No. 1 NFL rusher Clinton Portis to just 22 yards and no TDs.

Jet of the week: Thomas Jones, RB. Yesterday’s 34-17 loss to the Broncos was through no fault of Jones, who rushed for 138 yards and two TDs.

Offensive player of the week: Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles. Coming off the first benching of his career, McNabb threw for 260 yards, four TDs and no INTs in a Thanksgiving night blowout win over the Cardinals.

Defensive player of the week: James Harrison, LB, Stillers. A repeat Glauber Nation DPOW award for Harrison, who was brilliant in a 33-10 over the Patriots on the road. He had two sacks, two forced fumbles and a team-high nine tackles as the Stillers continued to establish themselves as legit Super Bowl contenders.

Last laugh award: Michael Turner, RB, Falcons. Playing his former team for the first time since leaving as a free agent, Turner chalked up his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season as the Falcons beat the Chargers.

No last laugh award: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers. The Bolts let Turner go thinking they had many good years left with Tomlinson. But he continued his struggles against the Falcons, running for just 24 yards on 14 carries.

Coach on the hot seat: Norv Turner, Chargers. At 4-8, he still has the backing of management and ownership. It’s another story with his players, who are starting to question whether Turner is the answer.

Hangin’ around award: Dolphins. They don’t blow anybody out, but they win more often than not. Latest example: a 16-12 win over the Rams. The Dolphins are 7-5 and just one game behind the Jets. Um … the teams play each other on Dec. 28 at the Meadowlands, in case you’d forgotten.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo" »

(The comment system is once again in the dark ages. I don't know what to do about this. Oh, well.)

Jet of the week: Brett Favre, QB. The man keeps getting better and better in green-and-white. The stumbles and turnovers of the first half of the season are behind him, and Favre shows an increasing mastery of Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. Yesterday’s numbers: 25-of-32 for 224 yards, two TDs and one INT against one of the league’s very best defenses.

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. He had his best game of the season when the Giants needed him most. No Brandon Jacobs. Practically no Plaxico Burress. Manning responded with three TDs and zero INTs, spreading the ball out in effortless fashion. He had at least two completions to seven different receivers. Heck, even fullback Madison Hedgecock caught a touchdown pass.

Unsung hero, Jets: Leon Washington, RB/KR. Another productive afternoon for the little fireplug, including a 61-yard touchdown run that iced the game in the fourth quarter.

Unsung hero, Giants: Domenik Hixon, WR. Subbing for the injured Burress, Hixon had a team-high six catches for 57 yards, and his brilliant kickoff returns helped set up the offense with terrific field position.

Offensive player of the week, Part I: Terrell Owens, WR, Cowboys. He had been held without a 100-yard receiving day until yesterday, when playing against his old 49ers’ team. Owens broke out for 213 yards, including a 75-yard TD.

Offensive player of the week, Part II: Matt Cassel, QB, Patriots. It is one of the most amazing stories of the season. A guy who hadn’t played since high school is now the hottest QB in the league. Cassel produced his second straight 400-yard passing game, as the Pats outlasted the Dolphins in a shootout in Miami.

Defensive player of the week: Ed Reed, S, Ravens. Against the slumping Eagles, Reed returned two INTs for a combined 151 yards, including a record 108-yard touchdown return.

Quarterback controversy of the week: Eagles. Chaos reigns in Philly, where the fans love a good quarterback controversy. Now, they’ve got a doozie with Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb. May the airwaves be filled with talk the way only Philly can do it.

Skin-of-their-teeth award: The Skins. The Redskins, that is. They eked out a 20-17 win over the Seahawks to stay alive in the NFC wild card race, if only barely.

Game that made you go “huh?!”: Raiders 31, Broncos 10. Holy Crap(honso) Thorpe! The Broncos squashed the Raiders 41-14 in Week 1, but were decimated at home by a rejuvenated JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown since an Oct. 26 game against the Ravens.

Big effort award: Vikings. They came up huge on the road in Jacksonville despite a ton of injuries. Adrian Peterson ran for 80 yards and a TD, and the Vikes’ defense rattled David Garrard & Co. all afternoon.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo: Best and Worst of Week 12" »

Giant of the week: Earth, Wind and Fire. Really, there’s no way to distinguish between Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw in this one. They all pitched in to combine for 207 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs against a defense that came into the game allowing just 65.4 yards per game and one rushing TD all season.

Jet of the week: Brett Favre. The drive near the end of regulation and the one that won it in overtime both took more than seven minutes off the clock and were keyed by tremendous play from the 39-year-old quarterback. Exceptional effort as the Jets knocked off AFC East nemesis New England in a terrific Thursday night game. (fyi: Just to give you some insight into the chaos that covering a night game for a newspaper can mean: My deadline for filing my column was 11:30 p.m. Randy Moss caught the tying touchdown at the end of regulation at 11:25 p.m. You do the math. As veteran copy editor Greg Gutes remarked after the paper was put to bed, “Gee you really took a U-turn in the middle of that column.” Ya think?)

Offensive player of the week: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. A vintage performance against the Texans as Manning threw for 320 yards and two TDs to keep Indy’s playoff hopes alive.

Defensive player of the week: James Harrison, LB, Stillers. Harrison had an interception and had a sack-force fumble of Philip Rivers that led to a safety, as the Stillers held off San Diego in a defensive struggle. It was the first game in NFL history to end with an 11-10 score. (Of course, had the officials not botched the call on the last play of the game, it would have been a more conventional final.)

Special teams player of the week: Leon Washington, Jets. His 92-yard kickoff return in the first half proved to be a huge play in what turned out to be an OT win over the Pats. This guy just gets it done game-in and game-out.

Best game, Part I: Broncos 24, Falcons 20. Jay Cutler completed a sensational second-half comeback with a nine-yard TD pass to Daniel Graham with 5:25 left, as Denver outscored Atlanta 17-7 in the second half to hand the Falcons their first home loss.

Best game, Part II: We gave you Broncos-Falcons as the best game, but let's call that the best game of the weekend. We'll go with Jets 34, Patriots 31 in OT as the best game. (Just trying to keep things fresh. Thanks to HockeyBob for keeping us honest.)

Worst game: Bengals 13, Iggles 13. Wow. That the Iggles couldn’t put away an awful Bengals team – even with an OT session – spoke volumes. The Iggles were lucky it didn’t end worse; Bengals kicker Shayne Graham missed a 47-yard field goal with seven seconds left in OT.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo: The Best And Worst of Week 11" »

The best, the worst and everything else in between from NFL Week 10.

Giant of the week: Offensive line. This unit continues to be among the best in the NFL, even if running backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw are the ones getting the credit. So take a bow, David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O’Hara, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie. A 219-yard rushing performance against a quality defense is worthy of praise.

Jet of the week: Offensive line. Thomas Jones had the gaudy numbers with 149 rushing yards and three more TDs, but we don’t think he’d mind a shoutout for the big boys up front. And a sack-free day for Brett Favre was icing on the cake. This one’s for you, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Brandon Moore and Damien Woody. Well done.

Offensive player of the week: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. Ran for 192 yards and scored the winning touchdown in a comeback win over the Packers. Had that locomotive look to him that made him so brilliant as a rookie.

Defensive player of the week: Julius Peppers, DE, Panthers. Showing the form that made him such a highly coveted player coming into the NFL with three sacks and seven tackles.

Comeback of the week: Broncos 34, Browns 30. Jay Cutler puts 21 points on the board in the fourth quarter to ruin Brady Quinn’s debut as a starter and provide more fodder for Browns’ fans misery.

Surprise team: Dolphins. They keep finding ways to win, even if they don’t always look very good doing it. A 21-19 nail-biter over Seattle keeps them one game out of first place in the division.

Disappointing team: Saints. A team that seemed to have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations coming into the season showed nothing against a rebuilding Falcons team in a huge NFC South matchup in Atlanta. And did you catch Saints QB Drew Brees screaming at Jeremy Shockey over a missed blitz pickup? The Giants sure did.

Coaching second-guess: Andy Reid challenging – and losing – two straight plays late in the Eagles’ game against the Giants. By losing two valuable timeouts, the Eagles were up against it in their unsuccessful attempt to come back in what turned into a 36-31 loss to the Giants.

Coach non-second guess: Not gonna do it, people. Herman Edwards went for the two-point conversion in the final seconds against the Chargers instead of opting for the PAT and overtime. Hey, the guy’s 1-7, his team is going nowhere, and they had a chance to win it on the road against a superior team. Nothing wrong with that one. As Edwards likes to say: You play … to win … the game.

Exceptional replay challenge: While Reid was 0-for-2, Giants coach Tom Coughlin correctly asked for a challenge on a play in which Eli Manning was ruled to have crossed the line of scrimmage before completing a pass near the goal line to Kevin Boss. Replays showed that Manning’s back foot was still on the line of scrimmage when he threw, so the play was overturned. The Giants wound up scoring a critical touchdown instead of a field goal.

Clutch performance award: Kerry Collins, QB, Titans. With the normally reliable running game stalled, Collins was forced to throw against the Bears’ defense, and he did a terrific job, finishing with 289 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.

Clutch win award: Colts 24, Steelers 20. At 4-4, there was little margin for error for a Colts team whose only hope of a playoff run is a wild card berth. They pulled off a big-time win at Heinz Field against a ferocious Steelers defense.

Rookie of the week: Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons. More calm, cool, collected play from the first-round quarterback, who led the Falcons to a definitive win over the Saints in a game that will go a long way toward deciding the NFC South and/or the wild card playoff race. Man, is this kid good. (Close second to QB Joe Flacco of the Ravens, who improved his team to 6-3 with a win over the Texans).

Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. I’ll be very honest here. One of the reasons I am making Jacobs the player of the week has to do with more than just the fact that he rushed for a team-high 117 yards and a touchdown in a 35-17 rout of the injury-ravaged Cowboys. It’s because BBiB! has been relentless in his criticism of Jacobs as being a timid, tippy-toe runner. (And that pretty much guarantees that BBiB! will rake us over the coals the rest of the week for any misstep in the Power Rankings or any other observation we come up with. Bring it on, buddy!)

Jet of the week: Kris Jenkins, DT. Like the Giants, there were plenty of candidates. Abram Elam had an interception return for touchdown. Jerricho Cotchery had a team-high six catches. Eric Barton had a team high eight tackles. But we’re going with Jenkins, who had two of the team’s five sacks and was constantly in Trent Edwards’ face. It was also Jenkins who openly suggested after last week’s 28-24 win over the lowly Chiefs that the Jets had to step things up big-time. He delivered, and so did his teammates.

Offensive player of the week: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals. The former Rams star smacked his former teammates in St. Louis to the tune of 342 yards and two touchdowns. This guy is playing at close to the level that once earned him MVP honors.

Rookie of the week, Part 1: Ray Rice, RB, Ravens. The former Rutgers star proved that being little is no impediment to NFL success. He rushed for 154 yards in a huge win over the Browns that keeps Bal’more in contention in the AFC North.

Rookie of the week, Part 2: Tim Hightower, RB, Cardinals. Taking over as the starter for Edgerrin James, who has clearly lost a step, Hightower led the NFC West-leading Cardinals with 109 yards and a touchdown.

Best game: Titans 19, Packers 16, OT. There were other high-scoring games that certainly qualified, but with this one going right down to the wire and Tennessee’s unbeaten season on the line, we’ll go with the Titans’ nail-biter.

Worst game: Falcons 24, Raiders 0. Just when you think it can’t get any worse for the Raiders …. it does.

Rescue of the week: Rex Grossman, QB, Bears. Filling in for the injured Kyle Orton (ankle, out at least a month), it was Good Rex for the Beras, as they outlasted a surprisingly pesky Lions team 27-23. Grossman scored the go-ahead TD with 5:36 left.

Comeback award: The Bucs scored two fourth quarter TDs, and came up with a two-point conversion on a last-second TD to send it into OT. Tampa then won it on Matt Bryant’s 34-yard field goal in OT. Wow.

Choke of the week: Jaguars. Faced with a virtual must-win against a team that hadn’t won all season, the Jags gagged it away by losing to the Bengals, 21-19.

They’re baaaaaack award: Eagles. They held serve against the injury-riddled Seahawks to move to 5-3 and set up a huge battle next Sunday night against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants. Donovan McNabb threw for 349 yards and two TDs.

Prediction: Stillers overcome temptations of Redskins cheerleaders and beat Washington tonight at FedEx Field.

A look at the best and worst - and a few things in between - from Week 8 in the NFL:

Giant of the week: Mathias Kiwanuka, DE. He’d been quiet since taking over at right end once Osi Umenyiora went down with a season-ending knee injury. But the Giants knew Kiwanuka’s talent would eventually show up. It did at just the right time, as the former first-round pick at three sacks – one more than his total of the previous six games – in a huge 21-14 win over the Stillers.

Jet of the week: Leon Washington, RB/KR. What doesn’t this guy do? He scored on an 18-yard pass play from Brett Favre. He scored on a 60-yard run. And he set up the game-winning touchdown drive with a 37-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. He accounted for a whopping 274 all-purpose yards, as the Jets just got past the woeful Chiefs.

Player of the week: Drew Brees, QB, Saints. He threw for 339 yards and three TDs against his former Chargers team, as the Saints scored a huge win over San Diego in a thriller in London. The day of perfection was complete when Philip Rivers, the quarterback the Chargers chose over Brees, threw an interception with just over a minute to play.

Dunderhead of the week: Plaxico Burress, WR, Giants. Another week, another missed appointment. This time, Burress missed a treatment for a neck/shoulder problem, and head coach Tom Coughlin benched him for the first three series against the Stillers. Evidently, more fines than even Joe The Plummer could imagine have not convinced Burress that he needs to clean up his act. (I love the word “dunderhead.” It was a favorite of former Giants general manager George Young, who used it in these types of situations. It is perfect.)

Coaching second-guess, Part I: Herman Edwards, Chiefs. Clinging to a 24-21 lead late in the fourth quarter, Edwards chose to run it three straight times and failed to gain a first down. The Jets won it on their next possession. Sorry, coach. That’s not playing to win the game.

Coaching second-guess, Part II: Mike Singletary, 49ers. Singletary did as every Joe Six-Pack would want to do when he told Vernon Davis to leave the field after a dumb penalty. And I’m sure the former Bears linebacker will be lauded for doing what fans want every coach to do. But I’m sorry. You embarrass a player like that, and you lose the locker room.

Barely alive award: Cowboys. They did just enough against the Bucs to make this week’s visit to Giants Stadium a huge divisional matchup. Brad Johnson’s dink-and-dunk offense in Dallas out-lasted Jeff Garcia’s dink-and-dunk defense with Tampa, as the Cowboys eke out a 13-9 win.

Upset of the week, Part I: Dolphins 25, Bills 16. The Dolphins beat the AFC East front-running Bills with solid play from Chad Pennington (314 yards, 1 TD, no interceptions). As a reminder, the Dolphins face the Jets at the Meadowlands the final week of the season. Hmm. Is there another catastrophe looming?

Upset of the week, Part II: Browns 23, Jaguars 17. BBB (Boland’s Beloved Browns) put together a huge road win to move to 3-4 and give themselves hope for a wild card playoff spot. And they did it without tight end Kellen Winslow, who missed the game even though his one-week suspension had been lifted. The Browns have now beaten the defending Super Bowl champs and a 2007 playoff team without Winslow.

Dominating performance award: The Texans. The Texans? Never thought we’d be handing this one out to a team that has never had as much as a winning season in franchise history. But after a 35-6 drubbing of the winless Bengals, it’s tough to ignore them. QB Matt Schabu threw for 280 yards and three TDs, and the Texans limited the Bengals to just 253 total yards.

Back-in-business award: Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles. Fully recovered from ankle and rib injuries, the Eagles’ all-purpose whiz came back at just the right time, running 22 times for 167 yards and a TD, and catching six passes for 42 yards in a 27-14 win over the Falcons.

Comeback award: Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers. He’s not only the leading candidate for comeback player of the year honors, but he’s fresh off yet another comeback win over the Cardinals. He threw for 248 yards and two scores, including the go-ahead TD to Steve Smith. The Panthers rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit to stay atop the NFC South.

Former Jet of the week award: Santana Moss, WR, Redskins. The Jets’ former first-round pick had nine catches for 140 yards and a TD, and scored again on an 80-yard punt return in Detroit’s 25-17 win over the Lions.

Giant of the week: Chase Blackburn, LB. Subbing for the injured Antonio Pierce, Blackburn made his presence felt immediately, tackling RB Frank Gore for a 2-yard loss on the 49ers’ first offensive play. Blackburn wound up with eight solo tackles, two assists and a sack, proving yet again that the Giants are deeper than most.

Jet of the week: Thomas Jones, RB. He’s really the only choice after a dismal performance from the rest of the team in a 16-13 overtime loss. Jones finished with 159 yards on 24 carries. Too bad a few others couldn’t have played up to that level. Otherwise, the Jets would be 4-2 and thinking big. Now they’re 3-3 and thinking Same Old Jets.

Offensive player of the week: Steven Jackson, RB, Rams. He ran for 160 yards on 25 carries and scored three TDs as the Rams upset the reeling Cowboys. It was the Rams’ second straight win, although Jackson may have paid a price. He suffered a quad injury and could miss some time.

Defensive player of the week: Kawika Mitchell, LB, Bills. Remember Mitchell? The former Giants outside linebacker, who played a key role in the team’s emergence as a Super Bowl champ last year, is doing similar work in Buffalo. In yesterday’s 23-14 win over the Chargers, Mitchell intercepted a Philip Rivers pass at the goal line to prevent the potential go-ahead score. He also had a sack and forced fumble.

Special teams player of the week: Sebastian Janikowski, K, Raiders. His 57-yard field goal with 2:30 to play in overtime sealed the Jets’ fate in the Black Hole.

Rookie of the week: Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens. After an abysmal performance in Indy, he dusted himself off and threw for 232 yards and a TD to help Baltimore beat the Dolphins on the road.

Best game: Bears 48, Vikings 41. Normally we prefer an occasional tackle during a 60-minute game, but in this case, we’ll make an exception. When two NFC North teams that were thought to have plodding offenses combine for 89 points, that’s entertaining.

Worst game: Redskins 14, Browns 11. Yawn.

Team in trouble, Part 1: Cowboys. They’ve lost three of their last four. Tony Romo still has a broken pinkie. Terrell Owens had just two catches yesterday. That’s two more than newly acquired receiver Roy Williams had. The “other” Roy Williams, the safety, is done for the year with a broken arm. Pacman Jones is suspended … do we need to keep going here?

Team in trouble, Part II: Chiefs. You can pick the Chiefs for this category just about every week. Their best player, Larry Johnson, was benched yesterday and faces a suspension for a reported off-field incident. The second-best player, Tony Gonzalez, doesn’t want to be there. And their quarterback, Brodie Croyle, is out with a season-ending knee injury. I’d say that’s enough.

Coach on the hot seat: Mike Nolan, 49ers. Unless he finishes .500, he’s all but gone. But it might not even get that far. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he gets the boot in a week or two.

In your face award: Panthers QB Jake Delhomme beat his former Saints team – again – by throwing for 195 yards and two TDs, as Carolina kept pace with Tampa for the NFC South lead.

Somewhere Jerry Reese is smiling award: Jeremy Shockey, TE, Saints. After yesterday's game against the Panthers, in which he lost a fumble that led to Carolina's go-ahead touchdown, Shockey questioned the Saints' medical staff for not diagnosing a sports hernia earlier.

Jet of the week: Leon Washington, RB/KR. He did a fabulous job on kickoff and punt returns, setting up exceptional field position all afternoon on a day when the Jets needed all the help they could get against the feisty Bengals. We spoke to Washington after the game, and he confided that the first time he ever played football, he quit.

Offensive player of the week: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Remember him? After a sluggish start following off-season knee surgery, Manning got in the groove at just the right time against the Ravens’ punishing (well, maybe not so punishing any more) defense. Manning led a 31-3 rout with 271 yards and three TDs.

Defensive player of the week: Pisa Tinoisamoa, LB, Rams. In a huge upset of the Redskins at FedEx Field, Tinoisamoa had nine tackles, two assists, a sack and a forced fumble to give the Rams their first win over the season under interim head coach Jim Haslett.

Special teams player of the week: Sean Morey, Cardinals. He blocked a Cowboys’ punt in overtime that was recovered by Monte Beisel and returned for a touchdown in a shocking upset in Arizona. It’s the first time in NFL history a blocked punt return for a touchdown decided an overtime game.

Rookie of the week: Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons. He’s no stranger to this award, even though Ryan is just six games into his NFL career. He set up the game-winning field goal with a clutch pass down the stretch, as the Falcons won it with no time on the clock. Is Atlanta really 4-2 and tied for the NFC South lead? Incredible.

Best game, Part 1: Cardinals 30, Cowboys 24, OT. What a finish. The Cowboys rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it, only to have the Cardinals win it in thrilling fashion in the extra session. So much for the Cowboys running away with the NFC East.

Best game, Part 2: Texans 29, Dolphins 28: No one expected a game like this, but they got doozy that wasn’t over until Matt Schaub ran in for a three-yard score with three seconds left to win it for the Texans. This one had it all.

Worst game: Vikings 12, Lions 10. Vikings coach Brad Childress says you never apologize for a win, even if it’s ugly. He’s right about that. But it doesn’t mean those who had to sit through it thought it was worth paying for. Blecchhh!!

Team in trouble, Part 1: Seahawks. At 1-4 and with Matt Hasselbeck nursing a knee injury, this is not the way Mike Holmgren had envisioned things in his final season as the Seahawks’ head coach.

Team in trouble, Part 2: Raiders. Now, we’re talking real big trouble here. Like, trouble that may take 10 years to fix. Or as long as Al Davis continues calling the shots. Under interim head coach Tom the Cable Guy, the Raiders were smacked by the Saints, 34-3. Up next: home to the Jets.

Reading their press clippings too much award: Redskins. After beating Dallas and Philly on the road, they got too full of themselves at home against the winless Rams.

California dreamin' award: Patriots. Bill Belichick figured the best way to deal with back-to-back games on the West Coast was to stay out there between games. But after a crushing loss last night to the Chargers, maybe it wasn't such a hot idea. I hope now people won't slam me for putting the Patriots lower in the power rankings. They're just not that good without Mr. Brady. Plus, the defense is getting old quickly.

Best Brian Westbrook imitator award: Correll Buckhalter, RB, Eagles. With Westbrook nursing fractured ribs, Buckhalter ran for 93 yards and a TD and had seven catches for 85 yards to help Philly get past the 49ers and get back to .500.

... On a final note, it was great being reunited in a football press box with the one and only Neil Best, who is now gaining national attention for his renowned WatchDog blog. We are only too happy to ride his coattails.

Best emerged from the basement to cover a live sporting even for the first time in what must have seemed like years. In fact, he was so shocked to be out in the sunshine that he saw all the good there was in the Jets' ho-hum win over the winless Bengals and their backup quarterback.

We're not sure when Best and his toilet-bowl adorned tie will appear next, but we hope it's sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, the folks at Cablevision or MSG or wherever should figure out how to market our unique relationship and turn it into a cash cow for the company ... and us. I'll leave it to brighter minds than mine to come up with the right idea. In the meantime, we'll continue taking shots at one another through the blogosphere.

Giant of the week: Domenik Hixon, WR. Making his first start in place of suspended receiver Plaxico Burress, Hixon was exceptional with four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a concussion.

Offensive player of the week: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers. Playing with a slightly separated throwing shoulder, without his top two running backs and behind a leaky offensive line, Roethlisberger put together a stunning performance with three TD passes to beat a tough Jaguars team on the road in prime time.

Defensive player of the week: Keith Bulluck, LB, Titans. He had seven solo tackles and six assists as the Titans held off Baltimore 13-10 to stay unbeaten at 5-0. The Titans intercepted rookie QB Joe Flacco twice and held RB Willis McGahee to 66 yards and no touchdowns.

Efficiency award: Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins: After four straight wins, including back-to-back victories over NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia, the Redskins are looking as if they’re for real after all. Rookie coach Jim Zorn has stressed turnover-free football, and he’s gotten just that. Get this: The Redskins’ next three opponents are a combined 1-11 – Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis.

Goat of the week: Sage Rosenfels, QB, Texans. He had a colossal upset of the Colts within his sights. And then he put on one of the most colossal fourth-quarter collapses in recent memory. Two fumbles and interception late in the fourth quarter, and Rosenfels was finished. A 27-10 lead suddenly evaporated and turned into a 31-27 loss.

Gut-it-out award: Broncos’ defense. The Broncos were coming off a road thrashing at the hands of previously winless Kansas City, but they buckled down at home against the Bucs and survived a 16-13 win to improve to 4-1. Key stat: The Bucs didn’t have a pass play of longer than 17 yards.

Comeback award, Part I: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals. He was so distraught by watching Anquan Boldin get hurt last week against the Jets that thoughts of retirement crept into his head. But Warner, who had six turnovers against the Jets last week, engineered a 41-17 drubbing of previously unbeaten Buffalo at home.

Comeback award, Part II: Kerry Collins, QB, Titans. He had a mostly miserable afternoon against the Ravens’ defense, but in the end, Collins found a way to lead the Titans on an 80-yard scoring drive to win it and keep Tennessee unbeaten at 5-0.

Matt Millen-is-gone-but-not-forgotten award: The Lions. They fired the embattled general manager in the bye week, which will most likely have to serve as the highlight for this team for many years to come. After all, the team he left behind was throttled by the Bears 34-7 at home.

Dead-man-walking award: Rod Marinelli, Lions. He has about a 100 percent chance of getting fired after the season.

Most-entertaining-losers award: Bengals. They take the Giants to overtime, and then make the Cowboys sweat it out until the final moments in a 31-22 loss. It took a spectacular catch-and-run for touchdown by Terrell Owens to seal it for the Pokes.

Jet of the week: Um, is there really even a question about this? It’s Brett Favre, who threw a career-high six touchdown passes, including three to Laveranues Coles. Not even as a kid did Favre throw that many TD's. Clearly, this isn’t the Favre the Jets expected when they traded for him. This was even more than they could have expected. Bravo. (Word of caution from Favre himself: It's only one game.)

Offensive player of the week: Well, it’s Favre, of course, but we need to spread the wealth here, so we’ll go with Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, who rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City’s shocking 33-19 upset of the previously unbeaten Broncos.

Defensive player of the week: Derrick Brooks, OLB, Buccaneers. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the kind of dominating play from Brooks that we saw yesterday, but part of it is traceable to hamstring problems. He came up huge against the Packers, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble that Jermaine Phillips returned for a TD in Tampa’s 30-21 win over the Packers.

Special teams player of the week: Matt Bryant, K, Buccaneers: Still mourning the loss of his 3-month-old son, who died four days earlier, Bryant kicked three field goals, including the eventual game-winner in the fourth quarter. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Upset of the week: Redskins 26, Cowboys 24. The feeling here was that Rock's Redskins were much improved, but not yet ready to keep up with the Cowboys just. Jason Campbell & Co. took care of that notion with a brilliant performance at Texas Stadium.

Coaching second-guess: Perhaps it’s piling on, because he’s out of a job. But did Scott Linehan think there was anything to be gained by going with Trent Green to jump-start the winless Rams? Or maybe Linehan simply hastened the inevitable. Rams were beaten by the Bills, and Linehan was shown the door after an 0-4 start.

Ironman Award: Deuce McAllister, RB, Saints. Playing on two reconstructed knees, McAllister’s power running game helped the Saints grind out a 31-17 win over the 49ers. Deuce ran for 73 yards on 20 carries and scored a fourth-quarter TD to help the Saints get to 2-2.

Have-to-start-somewhere award: This one goes to Boland’s Beloved Browns (BBB), who beat a Carson Palmer-less Bengals team 20-12 in Cincy. It wasn’t pretty, 1-3 sure beats 0-4. BBB QB Derek Anderson did just enough to win it, throwing a fourth-quarter TD pass to Braylon Edwards.

Fourth quarter collapse award: Actually, we’re not too sure anyone would want to win this dubious honor, but it goes to the Raiders, who went into the fourth quarter with a 15-3 lead over San Diego, but wound up surrendering 25 fourth-quarter points in a 28-18 loss. Does Al Davis finally pull the plug on Lane Kiffin?

Cheap shot award: Again, you don’t want to win this one, but it goes to Jets S Eric Smith, who launched head-first into Anquan Boldin in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ win over the Cardinals. The way we see it, the NFL should come down hard on Smith, who deserves at least a one-game suspension.

Back on track award: Steve Smith, WR, Panthers. Nearly two months after slugging teammate Ken Lucas in a training camp altercation, Smith had five catches for 96 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown, in a win over the Falcons.

Unsung hero: Smith teammate Muhsin Muhammad quietly produced eight catches for 147 yards, including a 36-yard TD.

Team defense award: Da Bears. They looked like the unit that led Chicago to the Super Bowl two years ago in holding off Philly in a huge NFC showdown last night at Soldier Field.

They’re-for-real award: The Bills are 4-0 for the first time in 16 years. In a division without Tom Brady to worry about, the AFC East is theirs for the taking.

(AP Photo)

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. Overcame sluggish start – does that sound familiar? – and was at his best in the fourth quarter an OT of a nailbiter of a 26-23 win over the Bengals.

Offensive player of the week: Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins. Holy Belichick! Brown rushed for a team-record four TDs and threw for a fifth, as Bill Belichick’s defense had no answer for the Dolphins’ frequent use of the direct snap to Brownn.

Defensive player of the week: Brian Dawkins, S, Eagles. He sure didn’t look like he was 35 years old when he dove through the air and had a strip-sack of Ben Roethlisberger that helped ice the Eagles’ 15-6 win over BBiB!’s and Black N Gold’s beloved Steelers.

Best performance in a losing cause: Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 421 yards and a TD, but the Saints fell in a shootout to the Broncos.

Best comeback: Bills scored 17 fourth-quarter points to beat the Raiders at home, 24-23, in what looks like Lane Kiffin’s last game on the Raiders’ sidelines.

Biggest flop: Texans QB Matt Schaub was called out by Titans DT Albert Haynesworth during the week, and Schaub answered with one of the weakest performances imaginable. He was 17-of-37 for 188 yards and three INTs.

Surprise team, Part I: The Bills. At 3-0 and growing in confidence every week, they’re ahead in the early going of the Tom Brady-less AFC East.

Surprise team, Part II: Are the 49ers really 2-1 and actually scoring points?

Disappointing team: The Browns are 0-3 after drawing plenty of preseason praise – including from this space. These guys just plain stink.

Coach other than Lane Kiffin about to be fired: Scott Linehan, Rams. Three straight blowout losses have him teetering on the brink. One more next week, and the Rams are almost certain to pull the plug.

Season-saving win: The Vikings held on to beat Carolina 20-10 behind new QB Gus Frerotte. Coupled with Green Bay’s loss to the Cowboys, this is now officially a horse race in the NFC North.

Rookie of the week: Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons. Another solid performance from the kid, albeit against a pathetic Chiefs team. Ryan was an efficient 12-of-18 for 192 yards and a touchdown.

Still-can’t-believe-it award: Did the Patriots really lose 38-13 … to Miami … at home?!?!?

Gotta-give-‘em-credit award: The Redskins are 2-1 in a very tough NFC East, thanks to solid play from Jason Campbell, who threw for 193 yards, two TDs and no INTs.

Team-in-trouble: Colts. They’re 0-2 in their new building after suffering a last-second loss to Jacksonville. We’re not saying it’s over at 1-2, but don’t the Colts get off to a 7-0 record every year?

Going-nowhere-without-a-defense award: It’s all well and good that the Broncos are winning these shootouts and putting up gaudy offensive numbers. But if this defense doesn’t start playing better, the wins will stop coming. The Broncos had to hang on for dear life in a 34-32 nail-biter over N’Awlins.

Better-start-blocking, fellas: The Eagles recorded nine sacks against the Steelers, exposing the soft underbelly of a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.

Stunner of the week: Bucs QB Brian Griese threw a team record 67 passes in a 27-24 OT win on the road against his old Bears team. He did throw three picks, but who cares? He won.

Dead man walking award: Lane Kiffin, Raiders head coach. The buzzards are circling the Black Hole. Speculation is running rampant that Kiffin may not even last the week, despite the Raiders' win over the Chiefs.

Giant of the week: Justin Tuck, DE. With two sacks and a 41-yard interception return for touchdown in the fourth quarter, Tuck is off to a brilliant start. So is his team.

Jet of the week: Tempted not to pick anyone after a dispiriting 19-10 loss to the Tom Brady-less Patriots, but we’ll give it to WR Chansi Stuckey, who finished with four catches for 43 yards and another TD.

Understudy award: Matt Cassel, QB, Patriots. The kid hadn’t started a game since his senior year in high school in 1999. But he was plenty good enough to beat the Jets, going 16-of-23 for 165 yards, no TDs and – just as importantly – no INTs.

Gutsiest coaching move of the week: Broncos coach Mike Shanahan going for two – and winning it – with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 39-38 win over the Chargers. Most coaches would go for OT, but seeing that his defense was incapable of stopping the Chargers, Shanahan went with his gut and got the win.

Weakest coaching move of the week: The Jets’ play-calling sequence on first-and-goal from the 3 in the second quarter against New England. Three straight runs to Thomas Jones, with Brett Favre on your team? Sheesh.

Officiating blunder of the week: Referee Ed Hochuli incorrectly ruling that Jay Cutler had thrown an incompletion – and not a fumble – on a pass from the Chargers’ 1. The Broncos were trailing 38-31 at the time. The play was not reviewable because it was called an incompletion. Oy.

Rookie of the week, Part I: Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders. Sure, it was against the Chiefs, a team going nowhere fast. But McFadden proved his worth by running for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Rookie of the week, Part II: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers. He reinvigorated the Panthers’ offense in the second half with 14 carries for 77 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter of Carolina’s 20-17 win over Da Bears.

Rookie of the week, Part III: Chris Johnson, RB, Titans. The fastest player in this year’s draft showed Tennessee fans why the Titans had a conviction about him. Johnson ran for 109 yards and 19 carries in a win over Cincy.

Offensive player of the week: Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos. Coming off a Week 1 suspension, Marshall finished with 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in Denver’s wild win over the Chargers.

Defensive player of the week: Patrick Willis, LB, 49ers. With the 49ers trailing 20-13 in the third quarter, Willis picked off Matt Hasselbeck and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. The 49ers went on to shock Seattle, 33-30, in OT.

Special teams player of the week: Darren Sproles, KR/WR Chargers. He not only returned a kickoff 103 yards for a TD in the second, but caught a 66-yard TD pass in the fourth.

Comeback award: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Manning once again showed why he’s one of the best of all-time, rallying the Colts from a 15-0 deficit in the third quarter to produce 18 unanswered points in a huge win.

Bitching and moaning award: Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs. After carrying only 12 times for 22 yards in the Chiefs loss to the Raiders, Johnson ripped the coaching staff and wondered aloud whether the Chiefs really want him around long term. There is no way Johnson makes it to 2009 with this team.

Continue reading "Week 2 NFL Monday Memo" »

Welcome back to one of our favorite blog items, our weekly review of the good, the bad and the ugly. Here's our Week 1 NFL Monday Memo. Enjoy Packers-Vikings tonight. Wonder if Brett F. will be watching.

Jet of the Week: Brett Favre. The 38-year-old quarterback won his debut in green-and-white by throwing for two TDs against Chad Pennington’s Dolphins. All in all, an excellent performance.
(Yeah, I guess he'll be checking out his old team on Monday Night Football.)

Giant of the Week: Brandon Jacobs. In his first game of his second season as the team’s starting tailback, Jacobs responded with 116 yards on 21 carries to lead an offense that was solid on its first four possessions but bogged down in the second half in a 16-7 win over the Redskins.

Offensive player of the week: Michael Turner, RB, Falcons. The Falcons dumped a pile of money into the free agent tailback, and he paid immediate dividends with 220 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-21 win over the Lions.

Defensive player of the week: John Abraham, DE, Falcons. When this guy’s healthy (which isn’t very often) he’s one of the league’s best pass rushers. He showed it with three sacks against the Lions.

Injury of the week: Duh … Tom Brady goes down with a torn knee ligament in the first quarter of the Patriots’ game against the Chiefs. Backup Matt Cassel wound up winning, but this injury could mean everything to a team that had every reason to believe it was ready to make another Super Bowl run. The Pats bring in Chris Simms and Tim Rattay today for workouts. Next up on the schedule: Jets on the road.

Best play, Part I: Jake Delhomme’s winning 14-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to unheralded tight end Dante Rosario with no time remaining in Carolina’s 26-24 win over the Chargers. Incredible.

Best play, Part II: Roscoe Parrish’s dazzling 63-yard punt return for touchdown in Buffalo’s 34-10 win over the Seahawks. The guy dipsy-doodled through the entire Seahawks coverage team.

Worst play: The Bengals allowing Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco to score on a 38-yard run. Flacco is known for his arm strength, but he is a slow-footed quarterback. Just shows how awful the Bengals’ defense has become.

Domination award: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, finally healthy after battling an assortment of injuries in recent years, threw for 361 yards and three TDs in Philly’s 38-3 thumping of the Rams.

Wing-and-a-prayer answered: Favre’s desperation heave toward the endzone on fourth-and-13 from the Dolphins’ 22. That ball is intercepted nine times out of 10, but this is Favre we’re talking about. Chansi Stuckey caught it for the first catch – and touchdown – of his career.

Wing-and-a-prayer unanswered: Pennington’s heave into the endzone on third-and-10 from the Jets’ 18 with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Dolphins trailing by six. Pennington was aiming for Ted Ginn Jr., but the ball was picked off in the back corner of the endzone by Jets CB Darrelle Revis. Game over.

Why Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) shouldn’t worry about his last name: The NFL prevented Johnson from putting his new last name (Ochocinco) on the back of his jersey because of issues involving his contract with apparel maker Reebok. Johnson (Ochocinco) then went out and caught one pass. He is a silly, silly man.

Coming up small award: The Seahawks. Game 1 of Mike Holmgren’s final season in Seattle got off to a dreadful start, as the Hawks were routed 34-10 in Buffalo.

Coaching second guess: On fourth-and-1 from the Steelers’ 48 on the game’s first drive, Texans coach Gary Kubiak decided to go for it. Matt Schaub was stuff on a quarterback sneak. It was never a game after that, as the Texans were stomped 38-17.

Coach on the hot seat, Part I: Mike Nolan lost – again – as the 49ers were beaten at home by the Cardinals. Another losing season, and Nolan is out.

Coach on the hot seat, Part II: The Rams nearly fired Scott Linehan last season, but figured he deserved another shot. After a 38-3 loss to the Eagles, wonder if the Rams already regret the decision.

Comeback award: Willie Parker. The Steelers running back suffered a broken leg late last season, but returned with a vengeance, running for 138 yards and a career-high three TDs.

Best performance: The Steelers. After an under-the-radar preseason in which the Steelers were hardly mentioned at all, they kicked the snot out of Houston, as Parker went wild and QB Ben Roethlisberger (only one incompletion and two TD passes) came out smoking. Sources say our own BBiB! was in the crowd, although he surely found something to complain about his beloved Steelers. We’ll surely hear about it this week.

Worst performance: The Rams were humiliated by the Eagles 38-3 in Philly. Just awful. Next up: at home to the Giants. Beware the trap game, Tom Coughlin.

Reggie Bush highlight reel moment: The Saints’ running back took a dumpoff pass from Drew Brees 42 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter of the Saints’ 24-20 win over NFC South rival Tampa Bay.

Rookie of the Week, Part I: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, the third overall pick of the draft, won his debut against the Lions, 34-21.

Rookie of the Week, Part II: Flacco, the other starting rookie QB on Sunday, won his debut against the Bengals.

Emotional moment of the week: Former Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who was temporarily paralyzed on opening day last year on a kickoff return, returned to Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday and received the George Halas Award at halftime. The award, given by the Professional Football Writers of America, honors a player who has overcome the most adversity the previous season.

Giants offensive player of the week: Amani Toomer, WR. His two touchdown catches, including a 52-yarder in the first quarter where he broke several tackles, were massive.

Giants defensive player of the week: R.W. McQuarters, CB. He put the game away with his fourth quarter interception, and filled in capably in the regular package when Aaron Ross went down with a shoulder injury.

Game of the week: Giants 21, Cowboys 17. Lead changes. Big plays. Defensive stands by the Giants late. Not decided until the final seconds. I’d say that’s drama.

Upset of the week: Chargers 28, Colts 24. Colts looked rusty from layoff, just as they did two years ago when they lost their playoff opener at home to eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers. That Billy Volek guided the eventual winning score and LaDainian Tomlinson spent the entire second half on the bench with a knee problem was indicative of the unlikely outcome.

Offensive player of the week, Part I: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. He completed 26-of-28 passes, and one of the incompletions was a drop by receiver Wes Welker. This guy just keeps on getting better.

Offensive player of the week, Part II: Ryan Grant, RB, Packers. He recovered from two early fumbles to rush for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers' romp over the Seahawks.

Defensive player of the week: Stephen Cooper, LB, Chargers. This unsung inside linebacker had a whopping 16 tackles against the Colts. That is an eye-popping total.

Key turnover: Peyton Manning interception midway through third quarter. The Colts were driving deep into Chargers’ territory, but Manning’s pass intended for Kenyon Keith was picked off at the Chargers’ 2 to end the drive. Indy was down 14-10 at the time, and a touchdown there changes the momentum.

Most pathetic display of emotion: Cowboys WR Terrell Owens crying when defending quarterback Tony Romo against criticism. At one point, a tearful Owens said, “Leave Tony alone … It’s not fair … It’s not fair … He’s my teammate. He’s my quarterback.” Oh, the humanity.

Team on a roll: Giants. They’ve won nine straight on the road – the first team in NFL history to do so in a single season.

Key injuries: Chargers QB Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson both suffered knee injuries. If either or both is out on Sunday, the Chargers have even less of a chance on the road against the Pats.

Best coaching job: Norv Turner, Chargers. For a team that looked lost the first month of the season, their win over the Colts was nothing short of astounding. If they follow through on BbiB!’s prediction of an upset win in New England, then we’ll be left in awe of our football-loving blog aficianado.

Worst coaching job: Wade Phillips, Cowboys. This team just did not have it. They were pushing the Giants around in the first half, but could only manage 14 points, and then three points in the second half. There’s a reason Phillips is 0-4 in the playoffs.

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. The kid grew up in a hurry against the Bucs’ stingy Cover 2 defense. Taking advantage of the small creases the defense gives up, Manning recovered from a sluggish start and hit his receivers with regularity. He went 20-of-27 for 185 yards and two touchdowns to get the Giants into a matchup with the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs.

Best game: Jaguars 31, Steelers 29. Ben Roethlisberger put his team in a first-half hole with three interceptions, but he rallied gamely in the second half before succumbing to the resilient Jaguars. They now go on to face the unbeaten Patriots in the divisional round.

Worst game: Chargers 17, Titans 6. San Diego’s explosive offense never got untracked until late, as the Titans’ defense played a near perfect game until Philip Rivers got it going late in the third quarter.

Play of the week: David Garrard, QB, Jaguars. On fourth and 2 from the Steelers 43, trailing 29-28, Garrard ran a quarterback draw 32 yards to set up the eventual 25-yard winning field goal with 37 seconds left.

Play of the weak: Santana Moss, WR, Redskins. Trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, Todd Collins badly underthrew Moss deep in Seahawks territory. But rather than come back and try to at least break up the play, Moss gave up on the route and allowed Marcus Trufant to make the interception. Trufant returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.

Coaching second guess: Mike Tomlin, Steelers. Offering further proof that coaches go for the two-point conversion way too early in games, Tomlin went for two after a touchdown with 10:25 to play got the Steelers to within five, 28-23. They converted, but the play was called back on a holding penalty. But then Tomlin called for the two-point play again, and it failed. After the Steelers went ahead 29-28, Tomlin went for two again and the Steelers failed again. Had Tomlin decided to kick the point after after being penalized and gotten to within 28-24, and then scored the go-ahead touchdown after that, a PAT would have put them up by three, 31-28. Then the Jaguars' game-winning field goal would have been a game-tying field goal. But that's what happens when you miss two-pointers too soon. You end up chasing the points the rest of the way.

Comeback kid award: Corey Webster, CB, Giants. Once considered the biggest liability in the Giants’ secondary, Webster had his finest game as a pro against the Bucs. It included a fourth quarter interception in the endzone and generally brilliant coverage of speedster Joey Galloway.

Rookie of the week: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants. Led the team with 66 rushing yards in a limited role. This kid is something special, and the Giants will continue to find ways to get him on the field moving forward. He could play a pivotal role against the Cowboys.

Offensive player of the week: Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers. Not a househould name, but a gifted receiver. He had five catches for 114 yards and a TD to help the Chargers overcome Tennessee.

Defensive player of the week: Rashean Mathis, CB, Jaguars. Had two interceptions in the first half against the Steelers, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Happiest player in the NFL: Chris Chambers, WR, Dolphins. Think Chambers isn’t happy to be out of Miami? Traded to the Chargers to increase depth at receiver, he had six catches for 121 yards against the Titans.

Statistical anomaly of the week: The Bucs came into yesterday’s game with a plus 15 turnover ratio, and the Giants had a minus 9. So what happens in the game? The Bucs produce three turnovers, and the Giants none.

Costly injury: Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers. He landed awkwardly while attempting to make a catch and suffered a sprained toe. He didn’t return, and he’ll by iffy for next week’s game against the Colts.

Most dangerous wild card team: Jaguars. Terrific defense, reliable running game, efficient quarterback. They’ll give New England a game.

Least dangerous wild card team: Chargers. Just not a very impressive effort yesterday, and certainly not the way you want to go into Indy.

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. He couldn’t have picked a better time to have one of the best games of his career. Four TDs and only one INT against the unbeaten Patriots.

Jet of the week: David Harris, LB. The rookie has been one of the few bright spots all season. He had 11 tackles and a sack in the Jets’ OT win against Chiefs, increasing his season tackles total to 127.

Offensive player of the week: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals. He had a whopping 11 catches for 171 yards and two TDs in the Cardinals’ win over the Rams. If and when this Cardinals team ever puts it together, Fitzgerald will be a key contributor.

Defensive player of the week: Jyles Tucker, LB, Chargers. The rookie had three sacks of Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, including one in the endzone that he recovered for a touchdown. The Chargers’ win moved them into the No. 3 seed.

Special teams player of the week: Andre Davis, KR, Texans. He scored not one, but two touchdowns off kickoff returns in the Texans' win over the Jaguars. Bears return man extraordinaire Devin Hester returned another punt for touchdown yesterday and set the single-season record with six return TDs. But he'll have to settle for our All Pro vote instead of the weekly award. Somehow, we think All Pro is just a tad more valuable than the Monday Memo mention.

Comeback of the week: Patriots 38, Giants 35. One of the best games of the season as Patriots complete unbeaten season. They rallied from 28-16 third-quarter deficit with 21 unanswered points.

Dominating performance award, Part 1: Redskins 27, Cowboys 6. With a playoff berth on the line, Redskins thump their divisional foes at home and cap remarkable late-season surge to get into the tournament. Joe Gibbs has the magic after all.

Off the scrap heap award: Todd Collins, QB, Redskins. Collins fills in for the injured Jason Campbell and leads the Redskins to the playoffs. Not a bad way to finish out a contract. Looks like he'll hit it big in the off-season.

Dominating performance award, Part 2: Cardinals 48, Rams 19. Kurt Warner beats up his old team with three touchdown passes. Not bad for a guy who was ready to hang it up a few years ago but decided to keep playing.

Fade to black award: Vikings. They held their playoff fate in their hands a little more than a week ago, but a huge home loss to Washington last Sunday took that away. They finished it off with a 22-19 loss to the Broncos yesterday.

Rookie fade award: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. Peterson is still our offensive rookie of the year. But he and his team have to be concerned by his fade down the stretch. In his last four games, he had a combined 144 yards.

Red hot award: The Chargers. They won their sixth straight and head into the playoffs on a roll. Their win over Oakland clinched the No. 3 seed. They’ll host the Titans in the wild card round.

Sympathy award: To all Browns fans, who had to watch helplessly as the Colts lost to the Titans and thus ended the Browns’ playoff hopes. Cleveland could have avoided this scenario by beating the Bengals last week, but such is life. It doesn’t help that the Colts pulled Peyton Manning in the first half. Don’t think Tony Dungy will be too well received in Cleveland these days.

Final word: Happy New Year to one and all.

Sorry for the delay, people. A bit of a rough go getting out of snow-socked Buffalo. Read below to see why being a sportswriter isn't always the glamorous life you might think:

Giant of the week: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB. I don’t know which I like more: his 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed the Giants’ win, or his prediction in the huddle that he would take it to the house. Bradshaw finished with 17 carries for 151 yards and had the longest touchdown run of the season.

Jet of the week: Jerricho Cotchery, WR. With Laveranues Coles no lock to return next season, Cotchery could end up being the go-to guy. He led the Jets with eight catches for 152 yards in an otherwise nondescript loss to the Titans.

Offensive player of the week: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Just another day at the office for Manning, who went 28-of-35 for 311 yards and three TDs.

Defensive player of the week: Kawika Mitchell, LB, Giants. With the game still in doubt, Mitchell was all over the Bills’ backfield pressuring Trent Edwards and creating havoc. He finished with two sacks and a 20-yard interception return for touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Special teams player of the week: Nick Harris, P, Lions. We normally reserve our special teams player of the week for a dynamic returner or kicker. But with no dominant performances in either category (unless our unfortunate experience with the PT Cruiser caused us some short-term memory loss), we will honor the Lions' punter, who had four punts inside the 20 and have a net average of 42.6 yards against the Chiefs. Kansas City's best starting field position for the entire game was their own 30.

Dominating performance award, Part I: Bears 35, Packers 7. Chicago had nothing to play for, other than the fact the Bears despise the Packers, regardless of when they play. The Bears made Brett Favre look awful and ruined the Packers’ hopes of securing homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Dominating performance award, Part II: Jaguars 49, Raiders 11. You knew it was going to be a long day for the Raiders when Fred Taylor socred a 62-yard rushing touchdown the first time he touched the ball.

Touching moment of the week: Kevin Everett returning to the Bills for the first time since suffering a temporarily paralyzing injury in the regular season opener. Players were openly weeping while he met with them before the Giants’ game. God bless this man.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo: Home for the holidays" »

Before we begin …

This is a very, very special day in the Glauber household, and it’s part of the reason we’re late on this entry. At 5:25 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1996, Emily Ann Glauber came into this world. So please join me in wishing her a happy 11th birthday. Emily asks months in advance if her daddy is going to be home on her birthday, and we do everything possible to accommodate that request during the teeth of the football season.

Thanks to all who participated in our poll question: Who is the smartest player in the NFL this week? See below for answer.

(One last thing: It’s killing me that I can’t come up with a “statistical anomaly of the week,” so anyone with any suggestions, please let me know and we’ll update, including a shoutout.)

Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. I know, I know. He dropped some key passes in the Sunday night debacle against the Redskins. So did everyone else in those ridiculous winds. But Jacobs put up 130 yards and was the only offense they had. The Giants’ big mistake: not keeping it on the ground more.

Jet of the week: Chad Pennington, QB. Coming off the bench with barely any practice reps during the week, Pennington did enough to put his team in position to win – or at least tie. It wasn’t his fault Justin McCareins couldn’t hold onto the ball on what would have cut the Patriots lead to 20-17.

Smartest player of the week award: It’s a tie between Eagles running back Brian Westbrook and Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan. We are absolutely in love with what these guys did near the end of the Eagles-Cowboys game. At one point in the Eagles huddle late in the fourth quarter and Philly holding a 10-6 lead, Runyan told Westbrook that if he gets anywhere near the endzone, he should stop short and go down. Why so? Even though the Eagles would be taking points off the board, they’d be in position to run out the clock. Lo and behold, Westbrook gets the ball with 2:19 to play and runs from the Dallas 24 to the 1, where he goes down. Donovan McNabb then kneels down the next three plays to run out the clock and secure the victory. Well done, gentlemen.

Offensive player of the week: Drew Brees, QB, Saints. Still alive in the playoff hunt – albeit barely, Brees goes 26-of-30 for 315 yards and two TDs in the Saints’ 31-24 win over the Cardinals. After an 0-4 start, the Saints have won seven of their last 10 to stay in it. Brees is the reason why.

Defensive player of the week: Jason Taylor, DE, Dolphins. Remember Taylor, last year’s defensive MVP? He came up with two sacks yesterday, helping Miami break its ugly 13-game losing streak with a win over the Ravens.

Special teams player of the week: Michael Spurlock, KR, Buccaneers. Breaking an incredible string of futility, Spurlock returned a first-quarter kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. It was the first such return in the history of the franchise.

Dominating performance award: The Chargers. They pummeled the reeling Lions at home 51-14 to clinch the AFC West title. These guys are on a roll. Then again, we’ve seen this before in the regular season, only to see them go belly-up too soon in the playoffs.

Ground-breaking award, Part I: Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars. Sorry, Steelers fans. I know this one hurts. But with a defense that prides itself on stopping the run, Taylor made a mockery of the men in black-and-gold, running for 147 yards on 25 carries and scoring a touchdown in Jacksonville’s road win. Humiliation will be complete for Steelers fans with tomorrow’s Power Rankings.

Ground-breaking award, Part II: Jamal Lewis, RB, Browns. He hung 163 yards on the Bills in snow-covered Cleveland to help the Browns keep pace with the Steelers in what has turned out to be a thrilling AFC North race.

Continue reading "NFL Monday Memo" »

Giant of the week: Plaxico Burress, WR. Playing on a bum ankle that’s bothered him since Week 1, Burress finished with seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. When Burress is right, Eli Manning looks so much better.

Jet of the week: Thomas Jones, RB. Complain all you want about the passing game, the defense and the coaching. But Jones did his part with 106 yards on 24 carries.

Offensive player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. Playing against the NFL’s premier defense, Brady shredded the Steelers for 399 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Defensive player of the week: Bob Sanders, S, Colts. Led the Colts with 10 tackles and throttled Willis McGahee (17 carries, 45 yards) in the Colts’ 44-20 win over a Ravens team that nearly upset the Patriots last Monday.

Special teams player of the week: Texans kickoff returner Andre Davis scored a 97-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to give the Texans a 21-7 lead. Houston held off Tampa Bay 28-14.

Comeback of the Week, Part I: Cowboys 28, Lions 27. Dallas rallied from deficits of 20-7 in the second quarter and 27-14 in the third quarter to beat Detroit, clinch the NFC East and give Lions fans one more reason to wonder why they put themselves through this misery every year.

Comeback of the Week, Part II: Chargers 23, Titans 17. The Bolts were down 17-3 in the fourth quarter and came up with two touchdowns to send it into overtime. LaDainian Tomlinson wins it in OT with a 16-yard touchdown run.

Coaching second-guess: Eric Mangini, Jets. After scoring a touchdown to make it 17-12 and then recovering an onside kick, the Jets got to the Browns 20 and were faced with a fourth-and-10 with 1:45 left and all three timeouts intact. But rather than go for the first down, Manigni goes for the field goal and another onside kick, which the Browns recover. Sorry, coach. Gotta go for the first down and then try and stop ‘em on defense if you don’t make it.

“Who knew?” award, Part I: Ryan Grant, RB, Packers. The undrafted free agent who went from the Giants to Green Bay for a sixth-round pick in the preseason continued his spectacular play with 156 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s blowout win over the Raiders.

“Who knew?” award, Part II: Broncos rookie free agent Selvin Young ran for 156 yards on 17 carries in the Broncos’ 41-7 win over the Chiefs. Of course, this result will only inflict further pain on our Lance, because it means the 6-7 Broncos will continue dying a slow death until they’re officially out of the playoff race.

Statistical anomaly of the week: (Oh, do we love using the word “anomaly. And now that resident genius and Neil Best fave John Philips is reading our stuff, even he might be impressed.) Usually when a team loses the time of possession by a 34:43-25:17 margin, it means they’ve lost. Not the Patriots. They smacked the Steelers 34-17 by having Tom Brady throw 46 times and running the ball only nine times. And with all those drop-backs, you’d think he’d have been sacked a bunch of times. Not once.

Stat that makes you go, “Huh?”: Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing after last week, was held to just three yards on 14 carries against the 49ers. Fortunately for the Vikings, Chester Taylor came through with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Spread of the week: After thrashing the Steelers at home yesterday, the Patriots have been installed as 24 ½-point favorites over the Jets on Sunday at Foxboro. To which we ask: Only 24 ½?

(Don’t forget, Part I: If you have questions you want answered in our exclusive Newsday.com web event, to be aired on Thursday, fire away either here or in previous post.)

(Don't forget, Part II: There's still time to vote in the Hank Steinbrenner 15-way look-a-like contest. Click here for details.)

Sorry for the late arrival. The system is acting up again, and we're having it checked out. They're not sure whether it's the tin cans at either end, or the sting connecting them that's the problem. (Oops, don't want to insult the techies out there. We're sure it's a very complicated problem that only a select few humans can understand. We'll just stick to the football. Cheers.)

Giant of the Week: Plaxico Burress. Playing on a bum ankle that’s bothered him all season, Burress finished with seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Ok, so the TD came in garbage time, but the guy played tough all game.

Jet of the week: Oh, boy. When you’ve got punter Ben Graham as the player of the week, you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel. Not that there’s anything wrong with Graham; more like there’s everything wrong with the offense. He had eight punts for a 46.1-yard average, including a 61-yarder.

Offensive player of the week: Here’s a name we haven’t heard much all season: Chad Johnson, the Bengals wide receiver. He finally had a breakout game against a very good Titans defense, finishing with 12 catches for 103 yards and three TDs. After one of them, he took over a television camera, panned the crowd, and trotted back to the bench. The NFL will be taking some coin in fine money for that one, but Johnson doesn’t care.

Defensive player of the week: Patriots CB Asante Samuel. He had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the first quarter against Philly, and then made a game-clinching pick in late in the fourth quarter to keep the Pats unbeaten.

Special teams player of the week: Matt Bryant, K, Bucc …. Oh, no, we’re not gonna make that mistake again. Sure, Bryant kicked four field goals for the Bucs in their 19-13 win over the Redskins, but it was Bears return man Devin Hester who was the star of the day with a 75-yard punt return for touchdown and an 88-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the third quarter of the Bears’ 37-34 thriller in OT against the Broncos. (Big Ben is Back! I guarantee you started yelling at your computer when you read Bryant's name. "He did it again!!")

Dominating performance award: The Chargers. They beat the Ravens 32-14 behind a strong performance from Philip Rivers, who threw for three TDs and kept the Ravens’ defense from chirping about how good they are.

Understudy award: Eagles QB A.J. Feeley. Subbing for the injured Donovan McNabb, Feeley threw for three TDs and nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Eagles just fell short in a 31-28 loss, but Andy Reid will have an interesting decision on his hands once McNabb is healthy.

Surprise of the week: The 49ers’ 37-31 overtime win in Arizona. The 49ers had lost eight straight and looked awful in doing so, but they came alive against the Cards, sealing the win with a sack and forced fumble of Kurt Warner in the endzone in OT. Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, a charter member of the All-Name Team, recovered for the winning touchdown.

Career is all but over award: David Carr, a former No. 1 overall pick, is just about done in Carolina. He was only playing against New Orleans because another former No. 1 pick, 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde, couldn’t play because of a sore back. Carr was benched and replaced with a rookie free agent.

Goat of the Week, Part 1: Eli Manning, QB, Giants. Tied his career high with four interceptions, three of which were returned for TDs.

Goat of the Week, Part 2: Gus Frerotte, QB, Rams. On fourth and goal from the 1 with 27 seconds to play and the Rams trailing Seattle 24-19, Frerotte fumbled the snap and was tackled for a four-yard loss to end the game.

Coach on the hot seat: John Fox, Carolina. We personally think Fox deserves a pass because of his quarterback situation, but team owner Jerry Richardson is not a patient man. What might save Fox: The Panthers are on the hook for about $15 million in salary after this year.

Statistical anomaly of the week: Honestly, we bring back this award because we just wanted to use the word “anomaly.” The winner: The Vikings’ secondary, which came into yesterday’s game against the Giants as the 32nd ranked pass defense with only 13 interceptions in the first 10 games. Against the Giants, they picked off Manning four times and ran back three for scores. Go figure.

Coaching second-guess: Herman Edwards of the Chiefs in the final minutes of yesterday's 20-17 loss to the Raiders. On third-and-5 from the Raiders' 27, Brodie Croyle hit Eddie Kennison for a 4-yard gain, but Edwards challenged the ruling, which was upheld. He lost a timeout as a result, then used another timeout, and then went for it instead of kicking the tying field goal. Edwards has been criticized for being too conservative, but this time, he should have taken the safe route by going for the tying score.

Jet of the week: Laveranues Coles, WR. Eight catches, 133 yards and a touchdown. He was the only consistent player on the field for the Jets in what could be Chad Pennington’s final start.

Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. Yes, Osi Umenyiora had that 75-yard touchdown return off a forced fumble, but Jacobs anchored the running game with 107 yards and a touchdown. Life after Tiki Barber: so far, so good.

Player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. He won the award last week, and we just can’t not give it to him again. Six more touchdown passes, on pace for a record-setting 61 as the Patriots’ roll to 7-0 and make us wonder whether an unbeaten season is in the cards.

Team in trouble. Raiders. At 2-2, it looked like they might think about an outside shot at a playoff berth. But after two straight divisional losses, including a home defeat yesterday to Kansas City, it looks like same old Raiders for now.

Dominating performance award: Seahawks 33, Rams 6. After embarrassing themselves at home last week against the Saints, the Seahawks bounce back and retake command of the NFC West.

Special teams play of the week: Dallas defensive end Chris Canty swatted away a potential go-ahead field goal in the third quarter by the Vikings, and Pat Watkins returned it 68 yards for a touchdown as Dallas outlasted Minnesota at home. Dallas is 6-1 for the first time since 1995, the last year they won the Super Bowl.

Special teams player of the week: Rob Bironas, K, Titans. He made an NFL record eight – eight! – field goals, including a 29-yarder as time expired in Tennessee’s 38-36 win over the Texans.

Comeback player of the week: Brian Griese, QB, Bears. Griese connected with Muhsin Muhammad for a 15-yard TD pass with nine seconds left to lift desperate Chicago over Philly 19-16. Word is the Giants are sending Griese a dozen roses for beating divisional rival.

Kick save and a beauty award: Broncos K Jason Elam kicks his third game-winning field goal, this one against the Steelers in a barn-burner Sunday night in Denver.

Bad to worse award: As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Dolphins, their lone bright spot this season, running back Ronnie Brown, suffered a knee injury and might be done for the year.

Rookie of the week: Trent Edwards, QB, Bills. Looks like Buffalo has settled on Edwards as their quarterback of the future. He led the Bills to a 19-14 win over the Ravens and deemed J.P. Losman an afterthought. Look for Losman to be dealt or released during the off-season.

Emerging player of the week: LenDale White, RB, Titans. The Titans have been waiting for White to get over weight and motivational issues, and they hope that patience is paying off. He led the Titans with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Stat of the week: Further proof that turnovers kill. Bucs QB Jeff Garcia didn’t have a turnover all season until Sunday against the Lions. He fumbled twice, and the Lions scored touchdowns after both in a 23-16 Detroit win.

Coach on the hot seat: Scott Linehan, Rams. A rare back-to-back choice in a league that rarely sees teams fail to win a game after seven weeks. Linehan is flirting with a mid-season firing in just his second year on the job.

Streak of the week: The Chiefs beat the Raiders for the ninth straight time. It’s the longest winning streak a team has ever had against the Raiders.

Next week’s games:

Giants vs. Dolphins, London, England
Bills at Jets
Lions at Bears
Raiders at Titans
Browns at Rams
Eagles at Vikings
Steelers at Bengals
Colts at Panthers
Texans at Chargers
Jaguars at Buccaneers
Saints at 49ers
Redskins at Patriots

Bye: Chiefs, Seahawks, Cardinals, Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens

Whoever thought we'd be sitting here after Week 6 of the 2007 season sitting in awe of what Vinny Testaverde has just done and realizing once and for all that Chad Pennington's days as the Jets starter are effectively over.

It was five years ago at this time that the Joe Montana comparisons were starting when Pennington had replaced Testaverde in the Jets' lineup and embarked on what would turn out to be his career year in leading the Jets back from a 1-4 start.

But now, with Testaverde at age 43 and winning a game just five days after donning a Panthers' uniform, it's Vinny who's the toast of the town and Pennington waiting for the inevitable call that Kellen Clemens will soon be taking over.

Jet of the week: Sorry, there is none. Not for a 1-5 team that hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown in six quarters and still has no pass rush.

Giant of the week: We’ll find out tonight. Early prediction: Plaxico Burress.

Player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. This is getting scary. Five TDs, zero INTs and the Patriots roll over Dallas to move to 6-0. How good are the Patriots right now? Better than any of their three Super Bowl teams of the decade.

Ageless wonder award: Vinny Testaverde, QB, Panthers. He got a call on Tuesday while playing with his kids. He signed on Wednesday and then suited up on Sunday, throwing for 206 yards and a touchdown in Carolina’s 25-10 win over Arizona. Incredible.

Team in trouble. Jets. At 1-5, this has suddenly become all about a high draft pick in 2008. That and the Kellen Clemens watch.

Dominating performance award: Jaguars 37, Texans 17. Think Jack Del Rio didn’t make the right call anointing David Garrard over Byron Leftwich just days before the regular season opener? Garrard has four straight games with at least a 100.0 rating.

Comeback player of the week: Kyle Boller, QB, Ravens. Good thing the Ravens locked him up for another year, because he might have to be the guy. Filling in for the injured Steve McNair, Boller led the Ravens to a 22-3 win over the hapless Rams.

Emerging player of the week: Derek Anderson, QB, Browns. Haven’t heard much talk about Brady Quinn, have we? Credit Anderson, who threw three more TD passes against the Dolphins yesterday and helped the Browns improve to 3-3.

Stat of the week: Eagles coach Andy Reid is 9-0 in games immediately following the bye week. His latest victim: the Jets.

Explanatory stat of the week: Ok, so Brett Favre set the NFL record for most career interceptions, breaking George Blanda’s mark of 277. But Favre, who now has 279 picks, has attempted more than double the passes Blanda threw. Favre now has 8,470 attempts, to Blanda’s 4,007. (We have a Packers’ homer in our office named Dave, and he’ll be happy we included this stat.)

Coach on the hot seat: Scott Linehan, Rams. Is it possible he gets the boot after just two seasons? If he doesn’t win soon, it might happen.

Rookie of the week: No, make that rookie of the decade. Adrian Peterson not only rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears’ vaunted defense, but he ran a kickoff back 53 yards to set up the game-winning field goal in a 34-31 thriller.

Best play: Packers cornerback Charles Woodson’s 57-yard fumble return for touchdown with 2:05 to play in the third quarter. It proved to be the winning score to move Green Bay to 5-1.

Worst play: On fourth-and-1 from the Eagles’ 4 in the final minutes, and with Thomas Jones enjoying his best game of the season, the Jets have Chad Pennington attempt a pass to Laveranues Coles in the endzone. It falls incomplete. Game over.

Fantasy football dream award: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers. He’s doing what we’ve expected all along, running for 198 yards and four touchdowns in San Diego’s 28-14 win over the Raid-uhs.

Surprising performance: The Saints’ backs-to-the-wall 28-17 win over the Seahawks on the road. What the hell is wrong with the Seahawks?

They’re almost done award: The Bengals are 1-4 and going nowhere. Marvin Lewis had the captain of a Navy ship come in to address his troops, but even that didn’t work. The Bengals were thrown overboard by the Chiefs. The worst might be yet to come. If they lose next week at home to the Jets, it’s officially over.

Coming tomorrow: Week 6 power rankings

Jet of the week: Laveranues Coles. Coles not only comes up with a team-high eight catches for 89 yards, but he takes the bullet for Chad Pennington afterward.

Giant of the week: Plaxico Burress. Eli-to-Plaxico is becoming one of the most effective qb-receiver combos in the league. And to think: Former Ravens TE Shannon Sharpe used to call him Plexiglass.

Team in trouble. Saints. At 0-4, looks like they’re done. Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, only the 1992 Chargers have rallied from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs.

Dominating performance award: Steelers over Seahawks. In a rematch of Super Bowl XL, the Steelers stomp over the Seahawks and win 21-0 at home, as the defense limits Shaun Alexander to just 25 rushing yards and Matt Hasselbeck to 116 passing yards. (We know, Black N Gold. We just made your day.)

Offensive juggernaut award: The Patriots’ incredible season rolls on. They put up another 34 points, making it five straight with 34 or more. Tom Brady added three more touchdown passes, tying the NFL record with three or more TD passes in the first five games of a season. Pats are the fourth team to start a season with five wins by at least 17 points. And for those of you degenerate gamblers keeping track of such things – are you listening, Ed McNamara? – that was a push on most betting sheets.

Player of the week: Kris Brown, K, Texans. We’re not normally inclined to give a kicker our player of the week award, but Brown gives us no choice. He kicked five field goals, including a 57-yarder with one second to play that gave Texans a win over the Dolphins. It was one of three field goals of over 50 yards.

Comeback player of the week: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals. Warner goes back to St. Louis and beats his old Rams team. He’ll now be the full-time starter with Matt Leinart knocked out with a broken collarbone.

Emerging player of the week: Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins. You see flashes in this kid. Against the Lions on Sunday, Campbell was 23-of-29 for 248 yards, two TDs and no picks in a 34-3 laugher over Detroit.

Losing streak of the century: Lions haven’t won in Washington … ever. No, really. Ever. They’ve played the Redskins 21 times in Washington since 1934, and are 0-21.

Coach on the hot seat: Cam Cameron, Dolphins. At 0-4 in his first gig as a head coach, Cameron is finding out the hard way that this head coaching thing isn’t as easy as it looks.

Best play: Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew’s 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Chiefs. It turned out to be the game-winning score, as the Jags improved to 3-1.

Worst play: Pennington’s interception that was returned 43 yards by rookie Aaron Ross for the game-clinching score with 3:15 to play.

Surprising performance: Chargers 41, Broncos 3. In Denver! It was the Broncos’ worst home loss since 1966. And it might be a sign that the Chargers are ready to bury their woeful 1-3 start.

Season-saving win: Bears over the Packers. They trailed 20-10 in the second half, and their season looked dead. But the Bears rally to beat Green Bay at the Tundra and keep their hopes alive. Barely.

Can’t wait for next week award: Patriots at Cowboys. ‘Boys need win over Buffalo tonight to make this a battle of the unbeatens. Should be an awesome game.

Stupid, stupid, stupid play of week: Travis Johnson of the Texans taunting an unconscious Trent Green after Green went down to block Johnson and got kneed in the head. Green suffered a potentially career-ending concussion, but Johnson’s histrionics were totally out of line. After the game, Johnson laid it on even thicker, suggesting Green wasn’t man enough for blocking him higher. Travis, you owe this man an apology.

Best supporting role: Kenton Keith, RB, Colts. If you heard of Keith before Sunday’s win over the Bucs, you’ve been spending far too much time indoors. Keith is a 27-year-old rookie who once tried out for the Jets but then spend three seasons in the CFL before getting a look-see with Indy. He ran for 121 yards in place of the injured Joseph Addai in Indy’s 33-14 win over the Bucs.

Rookie of the week: Aaron Ross, CB, Giants. After being benched in the first half for violating a team rule, Ross came up with a pair of interceptions in the second half. The first saved what would have been a Jets’ touchdown. The second put the game away, as Ross returned it 43 yards for the score.

Statistical anomaly of the week: Ok, it was a way of getting the word “anomaly” in our memo. Look it up. This one has to do with turnovers. The Packers committed five and lost. The Titans committed five and won.

Game that set the NFL back 20 years award: Ravens 9, 49ers 7. Painful.

Coming tomorrow: Week 5 power rankings

Brett Favre looks like a kid again. So does Chad Pennington. Donovan McNabb answers his critics in dramatic fashion. And what in the world is wrong with the Chargers?

A look back at the best and worst Week 3:

Jet of the week: QB Chad Pennington. The last time he played at home, Pennington was cheered after suffering an ankle injury. Rather than stick his middle finger out to the fans for that rude behavior, Pennington instead responded with a nice effort against the Dolphins, throwing for two touchdowns in a 31-28 win to stop an 0-2 skid.

Giant of the week: WR Plaxico Burress. He didn’t practice at all during the week, and was dreadful in a first half dominated by the Redskins. But Burress turned it on in the second half and finished with five catches for 86 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Best performance by a 37-year-old quarterback: Brett Favre, Packers. Looks like the Favre of old in beating the Chargers at Lambeau, throwing three TD passes and no picks. One more TD pass, and he breaks the tie he now holds with Dan Marino for most TD passes in a career (420). We now have just one request of Favre: Please play forever.

Best performance by a 36-year-old quarterback: Kurt Warner, Cardinals. Replacing an injured Matt Leinart against the blitz happy Ravens, Warner brought the Cards back into a 23-23 tie with two TD passes. The rally just fell short, but Warner showed there’s still some magic left.

Best performance by an undrafted quarterback: Tony Romo, Cowboys. How do you not love what this kid is doing? He carved up the mighty Bears' defense on the road and helps the Cowboys make a statement that they're tops in the NFC. (Ok, we understand if Giants fans don't love what this kid is doing.)

One team in trouble .... Chargers. They lost only two games all last season, but have already lost that many after going down in Green Bay. LaDainian Tomlinson is left to wondering what the hell is going on. So are we.

... The other team in trouble: Bears. Rex Grossman has one TD and six INTs. Time for a seat.

Dominating performance award: Steelers. In a battle of two 2-0 teams, the Steelers made the 49ers look like the junior varsity in a 37-16 win at Heinz Field. Willie Parker’s 133 rushing yards led the way on offense, and a stifling defense plundered QB Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore.

Player of the week: Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles. What a week for the Eagles’ veteran passer. His remarks on HBO about the increased scrutiny of African American quarterbacks created a firestorm of controversy. But rather than wilt under the pressure, he had one of his best games ever, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns as Philly smacked previously unbeaten Detroit for its first win of the year.

Comeback player of the week: Kyle Boller, QB, Ravens. He beat the Jets last week filling in for the injured Steve McNair (groin). Yesterday, he came off the bench in relief of an ailing McNair and staved off the Cardinals by driving for the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Not bad for a guy who was nearly run out of town.

Coach on the hot seat: Norv Turner, Chargers. He’s got one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but a 1-2 start leaves you wondering whether he’ll meet with the same fate he did in Washington and Oakland. One problem for Turner: defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell is a huge step down from Wade Phillips.

Best play: Allen Rossum’s 98-yard kickoff return for touchdown. The play gave the Steelers a 7-6 advantage over the previously unbeaten 49ers, and they never looked back.

Worst play: Ok, four worst plays. The Redskins’ play sequence in the final minute against the Giants. First-and-goal from the 1, spike. Second-and goal, incomplete pass to fullback Mike Sellers. Third-and-goal. Ladell Betts for no gain. Fourth-and-goal: Betts for a two-yard loss.

Surprising performance: Jaguars beating the Broncos on the road. Gritty effort by David Garrard, who has the Jags believing in themselves after upsetting the Broncos 23-14 at Mile High. Garard passed for 154 yards and ran for 52 to help Jacksonville improve to 2-1.

Disappointing performance: Rams losing 24-3 to the Bucs. Man, is this team bad. We knew the defense was iffy, but now the offense can’t do a lick. At 0-3, it might be over.

Best coaching move: Last week, we gave it to Mike Shanahan for icing Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski by calling timeout just before Jano made what would have been the game-winning field goal. He missed on the next attempt. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin learned well. He did the same thing to Cleveland’s Phil Dawson yesterday. After initially making the would-be game-winner, Dawson’s next attempt was blocked, and the Raiders hung on for their first win.

Worst coaching move: Gibbs’ play-calling at the end of yesterday’s game against the Giants. We once referred to Gibbs as the greatest living coach during his first go-round with the Redskins. Can’t do it now.

Deal of the week: The Eagles’ signing of free agent wide receiver Kevin Curtis. The Lions were in the market for Curtis, but he chose Philly. In yesterday’s 56-21 win over the Lions, Curtis had a career-high 221 yards and three TDs.

Rookie of the week: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. Man is this kid great. I know, first-round picks are supposed to be great, but that isn’t always the case. Ron Dayne. Blair Thomas. Curtis Enis. D.J. Dozier. This list goes on and on. Another 100-yard performance by Peterson, this time in Larry Johnson’s house.

Rookie writer of the week: Adam Abramson of Newsday, who made his first appearance in an NFL press box at Giants-Skins and whipped out two sidebars. Not only that, but he saved the day with his tech-savvy ways by getting his and our stories in by deadline after the high-speed Internet suddenly disappearaed at FedEx Field, an obvious attempt by the Redskins to rattle the New York press.

Coming tomorrow: Week 3 power rankings