Projo Pats Blog

GRASPING FOR ANSWERS: If Peyton Manning's knee is still bothering him following offseason surgery, the Colts aren't saying, but they don't have any other answers for Manning's inconsistency at quarterback this season (Boston Globe). Manning's stats are not good -- in fact they are as bad as they have been since his rookie season of 1998, when the Colts went 3-13. Manning's 6.6 yards per attempt is down more than a full yard from last season, which happened to be the third straight season since his historic 2004 campaign that Manning posted a decline in that stat.

Just as alarming is the fact that Manning has thrown nine interceptions to go along with 10 touchdowns. If you take away Manning's first season and his numbers so far this year, he has averaged 31 touchdowns and 14 interceptions per year, so the change is remarkable. Some of the Colts' problems surely rest apart from Manning. They are dead-last in the NFL in rushing, averaging just 73.4 yards per game -- their 3.4 yards per carry puts them ahead of just one other team, the Arizona Cardinals. (The return of Joseph Addai on Sunday could help them in that category.) Marvin Harrison's decline has been widely discussed, and the offensive line has not provided Manning the type of protection he is accustomed to receiving.

You know that Manning would love to turn it around on Sunday night, on national television, against a Patriots team that has been his toughest foe over the years, but a team that he has had success against recently. Manning is just 5-11 against the Pats in his career, but he is 3-1 since the start of the 2005 season.

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star writes that Manning is in a slump, but that the season can be salvaged. If it is to be salvaged, though, it will have to be done Sunday night.

For the Patriots, Sunday night is a test of a different kind. Jim Donaldson posed the question today: As impressive as the Patriots have been at winning despite their multitude of injuries, how long can they continue to win with such a patchwork lineup? And now, how can that patchwork secondary handle a future Hall of Famer who feels like he has something to prove?

BRING IT ON: The Patriots' chances of containing the Indianapolis pass offense are presumably much better with Ellis Hobbs expected to start. Hobbs returned to practice yesterday after missing the Wednesday session (he left Sunday's game early with a shoulder injury) and Hobbs said that he would even return kicks if called upon (Boston Globe). He is the NFL's leader in average return yards, but the Patriots always have Wes Welker to do the job as well.

HE LOOKS FINE TO US: Randy Moss returned to full participation in practice yesterday, and reports were that he was moving around without any evidence that his foot was bothering him (Boston Herald).

A JAUNDICED VIEW: Another reason the Colts are struggling -- they have been called for 51 penalties this season, compared to the Patriots' 22 (Boston Globe).

LUCKY BREAKS: Before the season started, the schedule figured to be an ally for the Patriots, and it really has been, as the offense has found itself facing some of the weakest defenses in the league week in and week out. This is particularly true when it comes to the running game (Boston Herald). The Colts rank 26th in the league against the run, and the few teams that are worse than Indy include three teams that have already faced the Patriots: the Rams (29th), the Broncos (30th) and the Chiefs (dead-last 32nd). So it's no surprise that New England is a healthy sixth in the NFL when it comes to average yards per game on the ground.

TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS: Our own Shalise Manza Young advises the Patriots to take advantage of Indy's problems by running it right at them. But K.C. Joyner on WEEI.com, noting the expected return of run-stopping safety Bob Sanders and the season-ending injury suffered this week by cornerback Marlin Jackson, says that Matt Cassel and crew should air it out on Sunday night.

READY FOR PRIME TIME: Cris Collinsworth, the co-host of NBC's "Football Night in America," expects much better things from Cassel this Sunday night than Cassel showed three weeks ago in the Sunday night debacle at San Diego (Boston Globe). Ron Borges of the Herald, though, wonders how Cassel will handle the cacophonous noise of Lucas Oil Stadium.

A DISTURBING HALLOWEEN STORY: Here's Wes Welker, quoted in "Patriots Football Weekly": "I dressed up as poop one year. It was hard to make out what it was, so, you know, I taped some corn on it."

WORDS HURT: Richard Seymour, who played one of his best games of the last two years against the Rams on Sunday, said yesterday that he was pained by the criticism he received for his declining stats last year, even as he played through a knee injury (projo.com). Seymour's philosophy, reports Robert Lee, is that he will play as long as he feels he can help the team win, even if it means that he will not make all the plays that he would have made while healthy.

TOUGH BATCH OF TEAMS: ColdHardFootballFacts ranks the AFC East as the strongest of the four divisions in the AFC, and third in the NFL behind the NFC East and the NFC South.

SINGLETARY BARES ALL: It's been quite a week for the new 49ers head coach, and he made an impression again yesterday, when he revealed that he dropped his pants and pointed to his backside when trying to make a point in his halftime speech about how his team had been playing (Contra Costa Times).

HE'S OUR MAN: Cowboys czar Jerry Jones spoke in support of embattled quarterback Brad Johnson, but added that he trusted coach Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to make the switch to Brooks Bollinger if they felt it was necessary (Dallas Morning News)

DANGEROUS WOMEN: Ben Roetlisberger of the Steelers had this to say about the challenges of visiting FedEx Field to play the Redskins on Monday night: "I'm not a big fan of playing there because it is loud, they're really good at home and they try to make their cheerleaders stretch in our tunnel before we come out of the locker room. That's just not good." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

WE OBJECT: Speaking of the Steelers, the NFL players union may file a grievance over the way head coach Mike Tomlin disciplined wide receiver Santonio Holmes last Sunday (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Holmes was placed on the inactive list for the game against the Giants and reportedly fined after he was charged the previous week with possessing a small amount of marijuana. While Holmes would not say if he was upset by the punishment, he did say that he would have helped the Steelers win the game, which they didn't do.

WE'RE ONLY SLIGHTLY BAD MOST OF THE TIME: Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry insists that his unit -- which is dead last in the league by a wide margin in yards allowed per game -- is better than most people think, most of the time. How do you explain that ugly 421.6 yards allowed figure (when 10 teams in the league give up fewer than 300 yards per game)? "Because we've given up frickin' 1,200 yards of offense in 35 plays out of 440." (Detroit Free Press)

SHARE YOUR PAIN: Bengals blogger Josh Kirkendall joined Lions blogger Kevin Ferguson in an interview with the AOL web site FanHouse to discuss what it is like to follow the only two winless teams in the NFL. Both are beginning to think it is realistic that their teams will finish 0-16. Asked who would win a Bengals-Lions contest on a neutral field, Kirkendall said: "Knowing how the Lions and Bengals are this season, I wouldn't be surprised if they tied, 0-0."

THIS WEEK'S PICKS: Last week, 7-7. A bad season for the picks. Here's what we have this week, with the home team listed in all caps as usual.

BEARS over Lions: Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli last week noted that losing is a disease. The Lions have got it bad, and the first-place Bears, coming off a bye week, are not the right medicine.

Texans over VIKINGS: Houston has won three straight while Minnesota is coming off its worst defensive performance of the season and has the distraction of two key players (defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams) reportedly involved in the league's recent steroid scandal. The home field favors Minnesota, but the trends are pointing Houston's way.

TITANS over Packers: Do you believe in Tennessee yet? Green Bay may be no slouch, but the Titans' running attack -- fourth best in the NFL -- should be able to dominate the Packers' 25th ranked run defense. Tennessee's defense -- which gives up fewer points than any other in the league -- should be more than a match for the Packers' high-scoring offense.

BILLS over Jets: Both Trent Edwards and Brett Favre had ugly games last week, but Favre pulled out the win in the end while Buffalo had an uncharacteristic fourth-quarter meltdown. Buffalo should bounce back because they are at home and because they are simply better than the Jets (who are coming off consecutive shaky games against two of the worst teams in the NFL).

Cardinals over RAMS: I found plenty to admire in the way the Rams fought last week at Foxboro, and they're clearly pushovers no longer. This week they welcome their former superstar quarterback Kurt Warner, and the number-two pass offense in the league. Expect fireworks on both sides, but expect Arizona to pull it out. Steven Jackson's return is no guarantee for the Rams.

Ravens over BROWNS: This is not a very exciting matchup on paper -- OK, it's a deadly boring matchup on paper. But Cleveland fans always get excited when the franchise that they used to cheer for pays a visit, and there is the added story line that the Ravens accused the Browns earlier this year of trying to intentionally gouge the eyes of running back Willis McGahee. Baltimore's offense is gaining steam thanks in part (last week) to use of a two-quarterback, single-wing set. And the Ravens' rushing attack could pick up yards on Cleveland even without the benefit of clear eyesight.

Bucs over CHIEFS: It is what it is.

Jaguars over BENGALS: Last week I said that the Bengals would not go 0-16, and after what they did against Houston, I am no longer so sure. I know one thing, if they do win their first game, I won't have picked them to do it.

BRONCOS over Dolphins: I have to give Miami a lot of credit for continuing to show that they are a real threat to win any game they might play. Denver looked awful two weeks ago at Foxboro, but they are coming off a bye week that they desperately needed to get some of their walking wounded feeling healthier. It looks like that has happened, so expect Denver to respond with a victory at home.

GIANTS over Cowboys: While Dallas seems to wilt under adversity, the Giants just keep on winning -- whatever the fates or Plaxico Burress might throw in their face. I love the Giants' defense, and Brad Johnson has proved in two weeks at the helm that he is not the man to solve it.

Falcons over RAIDERS: A team that has turned the corner visits a team with no one at the steering wheel. Expect Atlanta's ground game to chew up the Raiders, and for Matt Ryan to make some plays and pick up a nice confidence-building win.

Eagles over SEAHAWKS: Seattle has had its way with Philadelphia lately, but these are the Seneca Wallace edition of the Seahawks, and the magic is gone. What remains is the league's 30th-ranked pass defense, forced to face an Eagles attack that is fourth-best in the NFL, and getting healthier all the time.

COLTS over Patriots: The Patriots used to have the Colts' number, of course, but this matchup has become a very tough one for the Patriots in recent years. Even last year, Indy nearly tripped the Pats on their way to (regular-season) perfection. Now Indy is fighting for its season, and New England's depleted secondary just doesn't seem like a very good matchup.

Steelers over REDSKINS: What a brutal two-week stretch for Pittsburgh. After a tough loss at home against the Giants, visiting Washington on Monday Night Football is a real tough assignment. But while Pittsburgh has had a hard time against the NFC East this year, Washington is playing a less-than-dominating brand of football lately, winning in large part because of Jason Campbell's refusal to make a mistake (no interceptions this season). Pittsburgh's NFL-best defense will force him to make one on Monday.

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