2009 Week 6 Recap

Eagles at Raiders, Sunday, October 18, 2009

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Shoegal

Menu: Jambalaya. Geaux Saints! Plus lots of yummy treats.

Stud of the game: there were no Eagles studs. We stunk it up from A to Z. This week's stud? Chad Ocho Cinco, who put up his OWN money to buy (and give away) 1200 tickets so the Bengals/Texans game would sell out and be broadcast locally. That's for the love of the game.

Speaking of stinking it up (cover your eyes, Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom), what THE FUCK was that?

There are (at least) two voices in my head. Voice 1, Ms. Rational, says, "Hey, it's just one game. We always come out totally flat and blow a game we absolutely should have won at least once in the season, usually in the middle third (hello, week 6), and it usually doesn't hurt us. This is just that game. Don't panic. Things in the NFL are never as bad - or as good - as they seem on first view."

That's Ms. Rational.

Ms. Not-So-Rational is PISSED.

No one played well - receivers couldn't catch, McNabb threw some bad passes in the 4th quarter, Akers missed two field goals (margin of victory? 4 points), defenders couldn't get to JaMarcus Russell. Bad all around. But the worst? The real reason for our loss? Two factors:

1. The O-line
2. Jeremiah Trotter

Axeman, I love you, but the Raiders targeted you all day. And you weren't up to it. We're glad to have you back in Philly (for the third time), we love you, we think you're great, but you're not a great linebacker any more. I hear Hugh Douglas's old Bad Assador job is open. You might want to think about moving over to that. It didn't help that everyone else was blowing tackles, too, but dude, I could outrun you at this point.

The O-line. OH. MY. GOD. They were so full of holes they make swiss cheese look butch. Yeah, McNabb was off target in the fourth quarter. That's because Mr. Broken Ribs was running for his damn life for 45 minutes. And the play calling! Westy was getting big yards almost every time he touched the ball. Why in the hell did Big Red call so many pass plays with a QB who's still banged up and an O-line that couldn't stop my 86 year old grandmother who only has one good eye? Maybe we should've asked the pigeon to help out.

And I don't think it changed the outcome of the game, but let's talk about the bad officiating. JaMarcus Russell was clearly and obviously guilty of intentional grounding AT LEAST twice. Called? Nope. DeSean Jackson got hit out of bounds - taken to the ground on the OTHER SIDE of the paint - on a kick return. Called? Hells no. DAVID AKERS got taken to the GROUND and got up with GRASS all over his ass and back after a FG attempt. Roughing the kicker? NO. Seriously? Dude's on his back.

On a separate but related note, did you know that DMac has not drawn a SINGLE roughing the passer call in over TWO YEARS? How is that even possible? Oh yeah - all QBs (coughcoughBrady) are treated equally (coughcoughPeyton).

Oh well, it could be worse - I could be a Redskins fan.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Texans over Bengals. You know, after Ocho Cinco bought all those tickets, the least the team could've done was win, for chrissakes! Maybe what killed them was me finally getting behind them? Sorry, guys.

Packers over Lions. Well, yeah. Shut out. Ouch.

Jags over Rams. Took 'em to overtime, though. Gonna be a long season in Jacksonville. Gonna be longer in St. Louis.

Vikings over Ravens. Damn. It came down to a missed FG. Killer. And will the bad Brett hurry up and show up already?

Saints over Giants. I did call this. What I got wrong was the whole "close game" thing. Not so much. And the Giants even had their starting QB, unlike certain Philadelphia teams I could name. Is it too early to use the term "juggernaut" to describe the Saints?

Steelers over Browns. Well, again, yeah.

Panthers over Bucs. I really thought the Bucs had it in them to win this week. Apparently I was wrong. 0-6 hurts. Just ask the Titans. Or their fans. I really think they should stick with Josh Johnson at QB, but what the hell do I know? Oh! Actually I do know this: the Panthers need to find Jake Delhomme's successor ASAP.

Chiefs over Redskins. See, Eagles fans? It *could* be worse. We're homicidal, but Redskins fans are suicidal at this point. Looks like the Zornmeister is going to be fired, although I still think they'll wait until the bye. But as long as Snyder and Cerrato are running the team, they could have God coaching and it wouldn't make a difference. I absolutely think that the Zorn should shock the hell out of them and just quit. He's gonna get canned and take the blame anyway. Why not go out with a bang?

Cards over Seahawks. See, I should've let myself talk myself into calling the Cards!

Pats over Titans. Why does Bill Belichick's asshatness never bite him? The Pats were up about a million points, it's snowing, and TOM BRADY IS STILL IN THE GAME. Honestly, I was cheering for a career-ending injury at that point, just to punish Belichick for being a dick. Of course, it didn't happen. It never happens. I hate that guy. And what is up with the Titans this year? I'm sorry, but that's not just the loss of Albert Haynesworth. No way.

Bills over Jets. So it turns out that teams have figured out that Mark Sanchez only makes one read. Looks like the honeymoon's over, rookie. Things in the NFL are never as bad - or as good - as they appear at first. But 5 picks looks pretty damn bad. So do the Bills, who still almost lost the game.

Falcons over Bears. Speaking of picks! But still, that was a GOOD game. Very much enjoyed watching both teams, who played well for the most part. Talk about some serious goal-line D? The Falcons allowed one Chicago TD, then forced a fumble, got a pick, and got a turn over on downs. Falcons are looking good (again) this year!

MNF? Tied up. Game's been pretty exciting. Dawkins is out with a hamstring injury. That could hurt the Broncos.

So I'll close with a little something for Chef Spouse:



(because he's wearing his #20 jersey tonight)

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2009 Week 6 Picks

My prediction as we face the Raiders this week is that the Eagles will continue to make hay in the sunny part of their schedule. Which lasts precisely two more games. On the upside, Vick should see a lot of playing time, since we're likely to be so far ahead that McNabb won't take a snap after the half. My other prediction? This game turns into a Dullsville blow out, and we start watching one of the other games at some point. Eagles. Of course.

Texans/Bengals. I'm still not sure I buy the Bengals, but I'm at least renting this week. Bengals.

Lions/Packers. I so want to call Lions, but I just can't bring myself to. Packers.

Rams/Jaguars. If the Jags can't pull it together to beat the Rams (who might end up owned by Rush Limbaugh - as if they didn't already have enough problems), put a fork in them, because they are D-O-N-E. Jags.

Ravens/Vikings. A. Someone needs to take Brett Favre down a peg. B. Who better to do it than a team that's got to still be smarting after their surprise loss to the Bengals last week? Ravens.

Giants/Saints. I said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again - this is THE game of the week. I am so psyched! And I think the 2009 season NFC picture is going to come into very clear focus in the next few weeks. I can make an argument for this one going high scoring. I can make an argument for this one going low scoring. But either way, I'm positive it's going to be close and MEGA exciting. And I'm calling the Saints, and not just because I love New Orleans. Geaux Saints!

Browns/Steelers. Luckily for the Steelers, there's still ONE easy team in their division. (In case you were wondering, it's the Browns.) Steelers.

Panthers/Bucs. The Bucs gotta win some time, right? I think it will be this week. Bucs.

Chiefs/Redskins. The Chiefs also gotta win some time. And after almost taking down the Cowboys last week, I also think it will be this week. Chiefs.

Cardinals/Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck had a hell of a game last week. OK, it was against the Jags, but still. On the other hand, the Seahawks are running out of O-linemen. But the Cards aren't exactly burning up the pass rush wires. I'm thinking Seahawks, but I could probably be convinced to change my mind, particularly since they don't exactly have a lock-down secondary, and the Cards still have Larry Fitz last time I checked.

Titans/Patriots. The Titans gotta win some time, right? Ain't gonna be this week. Pats.

Bills/Jets. Jets. The loss to Miami on MNF was pretty crushing, but it wasn't that bad. I don't think it's really going to matter than Mark Sanchez seems to only make one read. The TO cancer has already infected the locker room, and the only possible salvation is to remove the tumor. Barring that? Long season up in Buffalo.

Bears/Falcons. Since losing their season opener to Green Bay, the Bears have been on a 3 game 1 bye week winning streak. Of course, they've played the Lions, the Seahawks, and the Steelers (who are normally a lock, but no so much this year, at least so far). The Falcons WHIPPED UP on the 49ers last week, and, after their early bye week, are also 3-1, losing only to the Pats and beating the Dolphins and Cardinals. Hm. Reviewing that list leads me to call the Falcons to win this one, but I honestly could see it going either way.

Broncos/Chargers. I predict the winner of this game will win the AFC West this year. And I predict that, on both counts, that will be the Broncos. Kyle Orton, Ex-Navy Cheesehead always believed in you. Just wanted you to know. You know, in case famous NFL quarterbacks happen to be reading this blog. Stranger things have happened.

On bye: Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins, 49ers

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Sunday Schedule: October 18, 2009

What are we watching this Sunday?

1 pm - Giants/Saints. This is the game of the week.
4 pm - Eagles/Raiders. This is not the game of the week.
8 pm - Bears/Falcons. This is going to be pretty good, too.

MNF - Chargers/Broncos. Another solid match up.

Menu - TBA. I've been on the road this week and haven't had a chance to confer with Chef Spouse. Requests? Put 'em in the comments.

Edited to add: Chef Spouse informed me that, as it will be miserably cold & rainy in DC all weekend AND as we are rooting for the Saints to beat the G-men, this would be an excellent weekend for JAMBALYA, baby! Oh yeah - it's on!

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Should Michael Vick play?

OK, every single sports writer and blogger in the universe is writing about this, so here's my two cents:

The man committed a crime and seems like a fairly unpleasant individual. However, he was also tried, convicted, served his sentence, and has been released. Football is how he makes his living. And the crime doesn't have anything to do with his profession (e.g., you wouldn't want an accountant who'd been convicted of embezzlement working in his profession again). And the NFL lets far less savory characters play. Let him play.

That said, I'm sure glad there's no way the Eagles would want him, and I pity the team that takes him on, because they are going to take so much shit from so many people (including, likely, the fan base) that, frankly, it's probably not worth it. Unless they're the Raiders. In which case he'll fit right in.

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