Projo Pats Blog

LOOKING FOR A SILVER LINING: Rob Lee's story today about the Patriots' inability to stop teams in the red zone -- New England is 30th in the NFL in red-zone defense -- came as a surprise to me. An equally important stat, though, is the number of times a team allows its opponents to reach the red zone. In that category, the Patriots rank 10th in the NFL. Of the top 10 teams in that stat category, only one -- the Houston Texans -- does not have a winning record.

A LESSON FOR THE COWBOYS: Dallas may have been in trouble even before Tony Romo broke his pinkie, but the team has blown up since Romo's injury, and now everyone in Big D is waiting for Tony to come back in a week and a half and make things better again. Indications are that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not be out for long as a result of the shoulder injury he suffered in last night's game at Washington (NFL.com's Adam Schefter reports that it is a bruised ac joint) but even if he is, the Pittsburgh Steelers should be fine, thanks to the NFL's number-one-ranked defense (Steeler fans -- unlike Cowboys fans -- won't have to worry about watching their defenders run away as opposing running backs roll up yardage) and a backup quarterback, Byron Leftwich, who came right off the bench and started throwing bullets against the Redskins last night.

IN GREAT COMPANY, FOR A NOT-SO-GREAT REASON: ProFootballTalk.com says that Cowboys rookie Mike Jenkins -- who thought better of trying to tackle Derrick Ward of the Giants on Ward's fourth-quarter touchdown run -- is the new Deion Sanders. The Dallas Morning News explains: "Sanders shamelessly admitted making "business decisions" on running plays during his career. He might have passed on that advice to Jenkins, whose uncle played with Prime Time at Florida State."

ON THE SUBJECT OF THE COWBOYS: Having a bye week gives the Dallas media lots of time to survey the wreckage, so to speak. Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Morning News concludes that Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones have destroyed the team that Bill Parcells built -- an organization built on integrity and accountability. But hey, Parcells didn't win a playoff game in Dallas, either.

NOT SO FAST: Michael Lombardi, writing for the National Football Post, doesn't think the Colts have the look of a team that is about to fight its way back into the thick of the hunt in the AFC, and he believes that part of the reason is owing to the uncertain future of head coach Tony Dungy: "I saw this in Dallas when Parcells was always unsure of what he would do from year to year. It does affect the team as the head coach's personality comes through and is a part of each team."

AWKWARD MOMENTS ALL AROUND: I didn't have very high hopes for Chris Berman's interviews with Barack Obama and John McCain, and if anything the presentation at halftime of last night's game might have been even worse than I was expecting. The uncomfortable chuckling between Berman and McCain when the senator recited his "He ... could ... go ... all ... the ... way" line made me cringe (as did that fingernails-on-a-chalkboard background noise that kicked in during the McCain interview). It was interesting, though, to note the two different ways the candidates addressed the "What would you change about sports?" question, with Obama playing the fan and saying he would institute a playoff system in college football, while McCain took a more serious tack and railed against the evils of performance-enhancing drugs.

CLASSIC STUFF: You wouldn't guess from his awkward Berman impression, but McCain is a pretty funny guy. And if you don't believe it, watch this video of him singing Barbra Streisand, back from a 2002 hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live.

ONE THUMB DOWN ON BRADY QUINN: ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer had scathing criticism of the Cleveland Browns' decision to bench Derek Anderson for Brady Quinn, saying that Anderson was not the problem and the team was caving under the overwhelming weight of public opinion in Quinn's home state of Ohio. I actually agree that Anderson is not the problem, but with the Browns clearly going nowhere, isn't there something to be said for letting your former number-one draft pick get some real-game exposure down the stretch?

TYREE DESTINED FOR THE DUSTBIN? The New York Post is reporting that the Giants may be about to cut wide receiver David Tyree, who made that spectacular catch against Rodney Harrison in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl back in February.

TEXANS COACH UPSET OVER INJURY: Houston's Gary Kubiak, during a talk radio appearance, said that a low hit by Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen on Texans quarterback Matt Schaub was "inappropriate": (St. Paul Pioneer Press) "Obviously, it's illegal to go low on the quarterback, and we have three plays that we turned into the league as of today, and we'll wait to hear back. [Allen] was definitely down there low, and Matt took some tough shots." Looking at the replay, I think Kubiak has a point. Schaub stayed in the game after the play but was limping badly, and Kubiak would not let Schaub return after halftime.

RUSSELL UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: When a team finishes a game with 10 net passing yards, that team's quarterback is bound to come in for scrutiny, and it's especially true if the quarterback is the Raiders' JaMarcus Russell. Writing on ESPN.com, Mark Kreidler says that there was some irony in the fact that Russell's horrendous game came against the Atlanta Falcons -- whose rookie quarterback, Matt Ryan, has already come much farther along in his development than Russell. And the difference, as Kreidler sees it, is this: Ryan showed up for camp at the start of his rookie season, while Russell hurt himself with a lengthy holdout. Keith Kidd of Scouts Inc. agrees, and says that it would be in Russell's long-term interest for the Raiders to send him to the sidelines so that he can clear his head and learn a few things.

TWIN CASUALTIES FOR THE RAMS: St. Louis will put wide receiver/kick returner Dante Hall and wide receiver Drew Bennett on injured reserve, meaning that the Rams will be without two of their most significant recent acquisitions for the rest of the season (St. Louis Post Dispatch). Bennett has been out since breaking a bone in his foot way back in the season opener, while Hall suffered a high ankle sprain in the Rams' loss on Sunday against the Cardinals.

 Tags  Dallas Cowboys Football Today Pittsburgh Steelers red zone

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