Sunday, October 08, 2006

NFL Week 5 Analysis:
Bluster, Bears and Bush

All bark and no bite: That neatly sums up the situation in Philly, where the Eagles fans were apparently nasty enough about T.O. before the game, but his non-existent stats (plus a Cowboys lead) has neutered the vibe inside the stadium.

And, yet, who cares?

The sweetest revenge, of course, is that the Eagles picked off Drew Bledsoe for a game-clinching INT, after the Cowboys got a gift-wrapped PI call that put the ball on the Eagles 7.

(And T.O. nemesis Donovan McNabb had an in-your-face day: 350 yards and 2 TDs.)

Here's the best part: For all the pre-game hype and all the venom spewed by Philly fans, T.O. was a complete non-factor. And the Eagles won.

The Bears are a bonafide juggernaut: Not only did the D come within 1 minute of pitching a shutout, but the offense racked up 40 points. That makes it 156-36 on the season.

Well, Reggie Bush sure picked an awesome moment to score his first NFL TD – a game-winning punt return? That's what we've all been waiting for.

(Meanwhile, Bucs rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski (2 TD passes) is a fantasy winner -- if not one in real life.)

Matt Freaking Leinart. OK, so maybe he's going to be a pretty good NFL QB. Not that it could keep the Cards from a loss.

So much for that Redskins' revived offense. (And so much for ripping a Giants D that was torched in its last game vs. Seattle.)

Wow, the Dolphins really ARE that bad, aren't they? Nice to see spot-starting QB Joey Harrington hasn't lost his touch with the INTs.

If there's a silver lining for the Packers in defeat, I think they found their new RB: Noah Herron (106 yds, 1 TD). From...? Northwestern, naturally.

Sure, it was only a win over the Browns, but the Panthers seem to have righted the ship heading into the second quarter of the NFL season.

You know who really won the Colts-Titans game? The gamblers who took Tennessee and the points. (The Colts did NOT look good.)


If you were wondering whether the/my Jags' sieve-like defensive performance last week was an anomaly, just ask the Jets.

I know Alex Smith was playing the Raiders, but for one week at least, the guy really looked like he was worth a first-round draft pick.

Here's the bright side for Oakland: They're one step closer to drafting Brady Quinn... hell, or anyone else they might want. Keep it up!

Leave your own pithy, one-line analysis about your most intriguing NFL Week 5 results or developments in the Comments section!

-- D.S.

18 comments:

Horatio said...

Best thing about Bush TD, he called it pre-punt. He came out on the field, and started waving getting the fans to chant, first time Ive ever seen him play to the crowd and he took it to the house.

I still think hes a lil too quick to get out of bounds, and clearly is the most-hyped Rookie to have done so little, but Reg-gie Reg-gie Reg-gie

In other teams:

I am afraid of the Bears on a personal level. Who in the NFC can stop them, who on their schedule can keep them from 17-0?

How much of an idiot IS Denny Green for NOT starting Matt last week? He couldve righted ship then and looked like a genius

Colts, they should be scaring themselves.

Patriots, quietly just beating people, lesser teams sure, but they are getting the job done.

Finally,

Green Bay - Farve, what a waste, give it up. Team isnt going ANYWHERE. Give Rodgers those snaps so Pack can know if QB is also on the shopping list. You can play lights out,great, but your team just isn't good enough and longer you hang around longer that 1st Rd pick embodied in Rodgers goes wasted. He may be a bum and a bust, but its better to have a bust you know about than a bust your betting on.

DBL said...

"I am afraid of the Bears on a personal level. Who in the NFC can stop them, who on their schedule can keep them from 17-0? "

Currently, the bye week is the only thing preventing the Bears from 17-0.

If the Bears can get past 3 straight weeks away at in the Northeast in November vs. the Jets, Giants, and Pats, they might have a shot at running the table (or course, I just jinxed it). I don't see the Bears dropping an NFC North game.

FreKy J said...

Drew Bledsoe, Philadelphia MVP.

Richard said...

Whats more itneresting tonight? Watching Garrett Wolfe on ESPN or PITT vs. SD on NBC?

Ingrid and Jim said...

You could just tell when Reggie caught that ball that he was taking it to the house. Go (#2) Trojans!

Horatio said...

Yea, 16-0 but lets face it 20-0 seems like a real possibility. Bears just look unstoppable.

The more I see Bears and Ravens, teams winning with good D and decent QBs more I wish Favre would have left Green Bay for Dolphins....

Howard_NL_MVP said...

McNabb continues to prove who the best QB (maybe player) is in the NFL this year. I love how he is spreading the ball around. When a big play is needed he makes it.

Jay said...

Not a good day for underdogs: The favorite won all 12 afternoon games (1pm/4pm) this Sunday.

Da Sports Authority

Mega said...

The Bears sure look like the best team in the NFL right now. One of the guys announcing the game (Simms perhaps?) asked the question "how will the Bears respond to making mistakes?". He went on and on about how the Bears have stomped every opponent and haven't had to face any challenges yet.

Guess he didn't watch the Bears-Vikings game.

Sid said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sid said...

Hadn't checked quickie for months and just realized its stopped!

NFL:

It was very very very important for Philly to beat Dallas. This win will give them the swagger and confidence they need to win some tough games later on. Imagine the mood in the team if they'd lost to T.O.'s Cowboys. It would've felt worse than that ugly loss to the Giants.

Tyler said...

Let me just point out that I'm not really sure if I've seen a Washington Redskin make an open-field tackle since 1993.

Brian in Oxford said...

Will the Bears stay in Jersey for the week between games?

Will the 72 Dolphins make a road trip north? (Hey, I think the Bears play Miami in a couple of weeks....unfortunately a month too early to make it *interesting*)

Unknown said...

Quick note on Joey Harrington. As a Patriot fan I was more worried about the Dolphins game when I found out Joey was starting and he at least showed he could get rid of the ball quicker then Culpepper.

But those 2 INTs that he threw were both spectacular plays by Asante Samuel. Harrington could have easily had 0 INTs yesterday had it not been for Samuel baiting him into the first throw and stepping in front of the receiver right before the ball got to his hands. The second pick was a tipped ball that Samuel caught with one hand behind himself.

I think Harrington actually looked pretty good and if the Dolphins had ANY run game it would have been a different game but when Joey Harrington throws the ball 41 times you're going to lose.

ShackII said...

I guess it's true that a tiger (or turd in this case) can't change its stripes. I almost got a chubby whenever the camera panned TO running his mouth to everyone on the sidelines.

You would have to believe that he'll wear out his welcome in Big D before the season ends. I wonder if he will end up saying something comparable to "I'm not the one who got sick at the end of the game."

ShackII said...

I guess it's true that a tiger (or turd in this case) can't change its stripes. I almost got a chubby whenever the camera panned TO running his mouth to everyone on the sidelines.

You would have to believe that he'll wear out his welcome in Big D before the season ends. I wonder if he will end up saying something comparable to "I'm not the one who got sick at the end of the game."

isbtown said...

I up the anti to 4 game suspension. That was vicious and could have been career ending.

Tim said...

I didn't feel that the facemask was intentional. It looked to me like he just tried to wrap him up but got the facemask (clearly dangerous and no less painful or career-threatening) by accident. Then again, I'm a Cardinal's homer and was still juiced about how much poise Leinart was showing yesterday (how about that drive, then WIDE RIGHT?!).