Projo Pats Blog

THE SECOND SHOWDOWN: The Dolphins almost blew it, but they drove 61 yards with less than five minutes left to set up a game-winning field goal that buried the Oakland Raiders. The Dolphins have now won four in a row and will host the Patriots on Sunday in a huge meeting of 6-4, second-place teams. Six and four is a popular place to be -- in addition to the Pats and the Dolphins, the Broncos, the Ravens and the Colts are all 6-4, and the Bills can join the club with a victory over Cleveland tonight. With the exception of AFC West-leading Denver, all the 6-4 teams will be fighting for the two wild-card playoff spots in the AFC, giving you a little taste of just how important this coming game is for New England. As John Tomase of the Herald explains, if the Patriots lose in Miami, they might just have to win all their remaining games to even get into the playoffs.

WHAT CASSEL WANTS: Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported yesterday that Matt Cassel will expect to be paid Aaron Rodgers-type money when he becomes a free agent in the offseason. Rodgers, a first-round pick of the Packers tabbed to be the eventual replacement for Brett Favre, has a six-year, $65-million deal, and his numbers are close to Cassel's. If Schefter's report is true, it certainly gives more credence to the notion that the Patriots would use the "franchise player" designation on Cassel, then trade him so that they can control where he doesn't go, and get compensation for losing him. Of course, there is the matter of the rest of the season; we'll have to see how much value Cassel has when his breakout game against the Jets is a little farther in the rear-view mirror. Speaking of the Jets, they are frequently mentioned as a team that will be interested in Cassel in the offseason, particularly if Favre finally decides to hang it up. But ProFootballTalk.com explains that New York has one of the worst salary-cap situations in the league entering the offseason, even if Brett does go.

THE LOOMING SHADOW: Richard Berthelsen, the interim executive director of the NFL Players Association, predicted in court testimony last week that owners will lock out players in 2011, after the current collective-bargaining agreement expires (Sports Business Journal). The owners feel that the current agreement is too friendly to the players. Berthelsen made the comments while trying unsuccessfully to have a jury toss out a $28.1-million award to retired players and against the union. He argued that paying the money would hurt the union's ability to battle the owners at the bargaining table.

THEY'RE THE BEST, PERIOD: Yesterday's meeting of the NFL's best rushing team (the Giants) and the league's best rushing defense (the Ravens) was no contest, as New York averaged 6.3 yards per carry and totaled 207 yards. The Giants are now averaging 5.3 yards per carry on the season, which would be one of the five highest averages by any team in the Super Bowl era if it holds up (ColdHardFootballFacts.com). The bad news for the Giants is that Brandon Jacobs, who picked up 73 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns, missed most of the second half with a sore right knee. But Jacobs didn't seem to concerned after the game, laughing at the Giants emphatic victory and saying that "it could have been a lot worse."
(New York Daily News)

AN OBSCURE RECORD: The highlight for Baltimore may have actually been an extra point: kicker Matt Stover set an NFL record by kicking his 372nd consecutive PAT.

STILL UNDEFEATED: The Titans may not have convinced me that they are a better team than the Giants, but they did prove that they are not too plodding an outfit to come back from an imposing deficit, as they erased a 14-3 Jacksonville lead by scoring 21 unanswered points, largely thanks to the veteran arm of Kerry Collins (Tennessean).

THE 'BOYS ARE BACK: It wasn't a piece of poetry, the Cowboys' 14-10 win over the Redskins. But if Dallas didn't explode offensively with Tony Romo back at quarterback, they gave a gutsy and determined effort capped by Marion Barber single-handedly dashing Washington's comeback hopes in the fourth quarter (Dallas Morning News). The problem for the Cowboys is that, despite their star power, they are simply not as good as the Giants. But if anyone doesn't think they are dangerous down the stretch, I think they have another thing coming.

A STATEMENT GAME: The most eye-opening score of the day was Green Bay's 37-3 trouncing of Chicago at Lambeau Field, the fifth-most-lopsided score in the 175-chapter history of the NFL's oldest rivalry (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). The Pack's win, combined with the Vikings' loss, means that there is a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North, with Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota each 5-5. Sounds like the NFC North to me.

DOUBLE-DUTY MAN: Not only did Spencer Larsen of the Broncos make his first NFL start yesterday in Atlanta, the Denver rookie became the first player in franchise history to start on offense and defense. Larsen was the Broncos' starting fullback and their starting middle linebacker, making him the first player in the NFL since Baltimore's Orlando Brown in 2003 to start on both sides of the ball, and just the fourth player in the league to do so since 1990.

DONOVAN PLEADS IGNORANCE: The Eagles' 13-13 tie in Cincinnati was the first tie in the NFL since 2002 and the 17th overtime tie in NFL history. The Eagles last had a tie in 1997 in Baltimore (quarterback Donovan "three interceptions" McNabb didn't play in that game -- in fact he said he didn't know there were ties in the NFL -- see the video below if you don't believe it), while Cincinnati had not tied a game since 1969, against the Houston Oilers.

GAMBLERS GET NOTHING: If you bet the money line on the Eagles-Bengals game, a betting method that requires you to pick a winner, you'll be getting a full refund (Philadelphia Inquirer). But only 10 percent of gamblers bet that way.

NOT AS BAD AS WE FEARED: The Bengals had a scary moment when wide receiver Antonio Chatman was taken the field with a neck injury, but tests proved normal (Bengals.com).

A NO-GO ZONE: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who did not let Adrian Peterson or any other Minnesota Viking runner get into the end zone on Sunday, have allowed only one rushing touchdown all season.

HISTORICALLY GOOD, AND HISTORICALLY BAD: On the other side of the coin are the Detroit Lions, who showed why they are the NFL's worst run defense when they surrendered 264 yards against the Carolina Panthers to help ensure that the Lions' chances of becoming the NFL's first 0-16 team remain intact. Jonathan Stewart (130 yards) and DeAngelo Williams (120 yards) became the first Panthers teammates to rush for 100 yards each in a single game. Detroit actually jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Lions gave up touchdowns on three consecutive second-quarter drives to give the Panthers control (Detroit News).

HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON: Detroit coach Rod Marinelli's spirited defense of his hapless players after the game is getting a very positive reception around the football world. But judging by the fans who posted reaction to the Marinelli story on MLive.com, Marinelli might be the only man alive who still believes in his players.

SHADY GOINGS-ON? Pittsburgh's victory over San Diego on Sunday was the first 11-10 final score in the history of the NFL. The result meant that the Chargers were the winners in Vegas. But the Steelers should have won the game by eight points (thus covering the spread), since Troy Polamalu's touchdown on the last play of the game was negated by an erroneous call (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). All this has the conspiracy theorists saying that the fix was in. (ProFootballTalk)

 Tags  Football Today lockout Matt Cassel Miami Dolphins

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