1) Adrian Peterson is the most overrated Running Back in football. That’s the 4th time this year I’ve seen him fumble in a big spot. He holds the ball like he’s palming a basketball. I think Chester Taylor (when given a chance) isn’t that far off from A.P. as blasphemous as that sounds. Not to mention of those 4 fumbles I mentioned, 2 occurred on the goal line. I think he has something like 9 fumbles lost this year which is a joke.

He’s the type of back who really averages about 3 Yards Per Carry and then will have 1 or 2 long runs a game and everyone thinks he’s this unreal back. Good for you, Adrian, that you’re big enough to run people over. I love how we give him a “c’mon man” on primetime for hits like the one on William Gay earlier in the year (a game they lost) but, no one ever brings up how limited his capabilities are. He’s a homerun hitter, plain and simple. He’d be better suited as a 13-15 touch a game guy when the defense is tired as opposed to an every down back. 3 YPC is awful.  

Here’s a list of guys who, at this exact moment, are better than A.P.

*Chris Johnson, MJD, Thomas Jones, Frank Gore, Ray Rice, Ronnie Brown, Ryan Grant, Michael Turner (when healthy), Steven Jackson

That’s 9 guys I would put in front of him. Argue all you want but, the Vikings are much better when they rely on the pass more than the run.

2) Brad Childress is about the worst in game coach in the league and, just as A.P. is the most overrated back, Childress is one of the most overrated coaches. I don’t blame Favre for wanting to run the offense. Who calls a running play (the one in the 3rd quarter) at the 7 yard line when Brett has just torched that secondary. It allowed the Bears to make personnel changes and, they clearly knew a running play was coming, hell Rich Kotite knew a running play was coming. The next play Favre spreads the offense out again and, lo and behold, a passing TD and 6 points follow.

Let’s also not forget that Childress was hell bent on running the football time and time again in the first half when it clearly wasn’t working. It was almost like he wanted to show Brett who’s boss. Guess what Brad…Brett’s boss. If not for him, you would probably have an 8-8 team and be out of a job instead of signing your fat extension.

The Vikings special teams are also horrible. This is a team with a handpicked, Brad Childress coordinator. It’s been a problem all year and now, they give up 3 huge run backs and have an extra point blocked which would have won them the game. Not only did they give up 3 big returns but, to 2 different players (Manning and Knox)…that’s an absolute joke and, to me, if you’re going to can kickers in season, why not can your special teams coordinator who clearly has no clue on how to coach. Special teams is simply about getting some of your best athletes on the field and having them maintain their lanes. How hard is it to get them to do that?

3) Is anyone else salivating at the possibility that the Vikings and Packers may very well meet in the first round of the playoffs now?

~ Tim Rescigno

Should we be getting use to this?  It’s the third consecutive week the Ravens saw their chances for victory slip away in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  It’s also the third straight week that the Ravens lost the time of possession battle by nearly ten minutes and failed to rush the ball more than twenty times.  This marks the second week the Ravens’ defense allowed the opposition to march down a long field to score the game winner.  And it’s the second week in a row the Ravens have surrendered a 100 plus yard rusher…only the second time in franchise history that the Ravens have allowed back-to-back 100 yard rushers, first since 1999.  This week’s loss, however, had a different feel than the Patriots and Bengals games.   

Sunday’s game was a tale of two halves.  The Vikings scored on their first two possessions and made it look easy as Visanthe Shiancoe, Bernard Berrian, and Sidney Rice made Jarret Johnson and our secondary look silly.  The Ravens defense was able to quickly tighten their straps, as they forced the Vikings to punt on their final four possessions of the first half.  The Ravens offense, however, could only muster three points and 137 total yards. 

Three minutes into the game the Ravens looked as if they were on the business end of a blowout, but by halftime they had worked their way onto life support.  The Ravens defense seemed stable, but the Vikings defense looked dominate as they shut down the run and treated Joe Flacco like a tackling dummy. 

The Ravens offense showed life during their second offensive possession of the third quarter, driving 72 yards for their first touchdown of the game.  The 22 yard Ray Rice scamper brought the Ravens within seven points of the Vikings’ lead and tilted the momentum in their favor.  The Vikings immediately answered back as Sidney Rice turned a routine slant route into a 63 yard gain.  The Ravens were ultimately able to hold the Vikings to a field goal, but their inability to defend the pass was disheartening. 

A combine forty one points were scored in the fourth quarter, as Joe Flacco and Ray Rice seemingly willed the Ravens’ offense to success.  And the defense …well the defense gave up a 58 yard run to Adrian Peterson after containing him for most of the day and again proved they couldn’t cover anyone when it really mattered.   

The last four minutes of the game created a whirlwind of emotions for the Ravens faithful.   Ray Rice broke his second 20 plus yard TD run to give the Ravens a one point lead only to see Brett Favre lead his unit 66 yards down the field, in little over a minute and a half, to take it right back.  To the credit of the Ravens offense they didn’t seem to be phased as Flacco calmly lead his team 41 yards to set up a 44 yard game winning field goal attempt…

Wide left!

Ravens fans now have two weeks to stew over the third consecutive gut wrenching loss.  14 days…14 days of “we should have kept Stover”…14 days of excessive scrutiny and pessimism from the droves of Monday Morning Quarterbacks. 

I’m not saying a certain level of scrutiny isn’t deserved.  I’ve maintained all season that the Ravens defensive secondary was merely the victims of bad breaks and a lack of pressure, but I’m starting to worry that a fundamental problem exists.  Fabian Washington looked like a shutdown corner at times last year and now he’s getting benched in favor of Frank Walker during crucial late game drives. The secondary as a whole has largely turned in underwhelming performances thus far.  I’ll maintain that a lack of pressure from the front seven is a big part of the problem, but it’s time for the DBs to start showing some accountability. 

As always I like to keep things in perspective…turn back the calendar twelve months and you’ll find many similarities.  The Ravens were coming off their third consecutive loss after an absolute trouncing in Indianapolis.  After a good start the Ravens had fell victims to questionable calls, questionable coverage, and an inability to close teams out (see the 2008 Steelers, Titans, Colts stretch).  At 2-3 the Ravens were facing a very difficult stretch of the schedule. A year later the team is 3-3 facing a bye week followed by a tough stretch of games. 

Believe me this loss is going to stick in my craw, but at the end of the day the team gave 110%. Let’s hope the Ravens use this bye week to address their secondary issues internally.  Perhaps Mike Preston, of the Baltimore Sun, wasn’t so far off when he suggested that the Ravens give third rounder Lardarius Webb a chance at corner.  In addition to getting focused and getting healthy let’s hope the Ravens brass pull off a trade for  stud wide receiver Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Bowe is rumored to be on the table for a second round draft pick in the 2010 draft due to his rocky relationship with new head coach Todd Haley.  Bowe for a second round pick is an absolute steal.  I’m not sure how much truth there is to the trade rumor, especially after Bowe went for a 109 yards today, but here’s to hoping. 

~Pat Cary

1. Colts (3) – It wasn’t just the offense taking control of the game this week. The Colts Defense forced Seneca Wallace to throw 4-5 Yard passes the entire game and the DE’s, including an injured Dwight Freeney, put big time pressure on him all day long. The more I watch this team on a weekly basis, the more balanced they become. When you have a balanced offense, a balanced defense, great depth and the best player in the world, you’ve currently got the best team in football in my book.

2. Giants (1) – The Giants aren’t dropping in the rankings for anything they’ve done on the field, it’s more because of what’s happening off it. They have been the most consistent team in football this season and have been able to win games on the ground, in the air and with their defense. They are as deep as it gets but, now we’ll have to see if that finally catches up to them. Eli Manning, who has become a top 5 QB in this league over the past 2 years, now has a banged up heal which will be painful to play with all season. Chris Canty is hobbled by injuries, Michael Boley is out for 4 weeks (at the minimum) with a knee injury, Aaron Ross still hasn’t played a snap, Kevin Dockery is just back from injury and Kenny Phillips is on IR this year. Sooner or later, injuries add up. Jerry Reese has done a great job, to date, at drafting and signing no name free agents who always seem to step in and play big when called upon. Case in point this year is Bruce Johnson at CB, the rookie out of Miami. My only concern is, sooner or later, Jerry is going to be wrong on a few signings. Nobody is perfect. If this happens, that depth will become an issue. Most importantly though, if Manning is effected more by this injury than he is currently letting on, the G-Men will have to duplicate what Hostettler was to Simms with David Carr stepping in for Eli. No easy task.

3. Saints (4) – I know you’ve probably heard this all week long but, this Saints defense is pretty solid. On a day where the offense really didn’t do much, Darren Sharper and Company showed up and put on a show. They had Mark Sanchez looking like a rookie for the first time in his NFL career. I’ve been saying it for weeks now but, if the Saints can gain home field advantage throughout, come playoff time, the Superdome is a very tough place to go into and win. Slowly but surely, it’s becoming hard to find a week spot in this lineup. The Saints may be the 2^nd deepest team in the league behind the Giants. No matter who they throw back there in the Running Back slot, they are able to move the ball on the ground week in and week out. The bye week will help in getting one of those backs, Mike Bell, back in prime shape for the long haul the rest of the way.

4. Vikings (5) – I’m not taking anything away from Brett Favre but, the simple reason why the Vikings won this game, and really dominated it contrary to what the final score said, was because of how they played on the O and D lines. There was one play in particular where ESPN showed how Favre dropped back and basically held the ball for 8 seconds without a Packer defender ever coming within 2 yards of him before finally drilling a 20 yard pass to Jeff Dugan…Wow! 8 seconds in the NFL is the equivalency of that 45 second, running around the backfield pass you throw in a beer league game with your buddies during 5 vs. 5 with no line and no rush. If the Vikings protect Favre like this all year, this team will be very tough to beat. Then you flip to the Defensive side of the ball where Jared Allen and Ray Edwards were in the backfield on every play. Again, Favre played great…believe it or not, the Offensive and Defensive Lines played even better. Now they get a 5-0 gift wrap with the Rams coming to town.

5. Broncos (12) – I am ready to eat some crow. I had this team going 2-14 some 5 weeks ago in my pre-season predictions. Now I have them winning 10-11 games and making the playoffs. These guys are legit and my hat goes off to Josh McDaniels. 84% of teams starting the season 4-0 have made the playoffs since the merger and, with the defense playing as well as they are, this Broncos team should be no different. Kyle Orton is quietly one of the league leaders in passer rating and has 5 TD’s compared to 0 Interceptions, a perfect formula for success in this league. Pats/Broncos is my game of the week heading into Sunday and I can’t wait to see Elvis Dumervil vs. Tom Brady (I can’t believe I really just uttered those words but, it’s true).

6. Jets (6) – Mark Sanchez finally looked like a rookie on Sunday yet, the Jets were in this game for most of it. I think a lot of people are overlooking how tough the Dolphins can be, including myself, though. I hope the individuals on the Jets aren’t amongst them otherwise they could be in for a rude awakening Monday night. It will be interesting to see how much Braylon Edwards is used in his for game for the Jets.

7. Patriots (8) – Big win over the Ravens this past weekend. They were able to move the ball on a pretty good defense and made some big plays when it counted. The one thing I’m still waiting for with this team is seeing them put a team away early and not allowing them to hang around as much as they’ve allowed thus far on the season.

8. Ravens (1a) – This is still a very good football team. They went into a tough environment on the road in New England this past weekend and almost pulled out a very tough victory. Tom Brady rule aside (which is getting absurd), the Ravens needed to make a few plays down the stretch and were simply unable to. They had 6 total drops on the game which is unacceptable if you expect to beat good teams in the NFL. John Harbaugh runs as disciplined a ship as there is though so, don’t expect the Ravens to make a habit of them.

9. Eagles (7) – This team definitely needed the bye week to get Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook healthy. With those 2 at full force, they may beat the Bucs by 40 this weekend.

10. Falcons (10) – I’m not a huge fan of these early season byes in general and, I think the Falcons have the most to lose because of the current system. They now have to play 13 straight games against what is now a tough schedule, in retrospect. Going on the road to play the 49ers this week is going to be tough and should really show us what this young team is made of.

11. 49ers (14) – Did someone predict the Rams probably wouldn’t score a TD last week? Oh yeah that was me. I guess I shouldn’t have been so timid with my thoughts and said “the Rams aren’t going to score a point”. This is a great defense that really optimizes what Mike Singletary stood for in his playing days. Patrick Willis may be the best player in football right now on either side of the football. Don’t these guys eerily remind you of some of the Steelers defenses over the years, the ’85 Bears or the 2000 Ravens. I’m not saying they’re there yet but, comparatively speaking, the defense is as capable of putting points on the board and winning games themselves as the offense is. The game against the Falcons this week should be a fun one to watch.

12. Bears (11) – I still don’t know what to make of these guys. They won that game by 24 against the Lions last weekend but, in reality, allowed it to be close for way too long. This team will not be a playoff team if they continue to play to the level of their opponents each week.

13. Bengals (13) – I really like the way they won against the Browns this past weekend. This was the ultimate trap game for them with the Ravens on deck and they stepped up to the plate and hit a base clearing double. I won’t go as far as a homerun because, let’s face it, they beat the Browns in OT. The simple fact remains, the Bengals of recent history would have found many ways to lose that game. All of a sudden, the game this week in Baltimore is for sole possession of the AFC North lead.

14. Steelers (17) – Was that Steeler football we finally saw Sunday night? Did you guys actually have a running back go over 100 yards (Rashard Mendenhall)? Did Big Ben finally not get as acquainted with the turf as did with his receivers? Congratulations. If this team can play the way they played Sunday night on a consistent basis, maybe we won’t see the traditional Super Bowl Hangover a lot of past winners have felt. The one negative that still has to be eating at this team is how poorly the defense has played to close out games. The Chargers somehow got back into this game where they would have been absolutely buried by past Steelers defensive units. This team really misses Polamalu who may be more valuable to his team than any other player in the league.

15. Jaguars (19) – Things seem to be clicking for this offense all of a sudden. Between Garrard, Sims-Walker, Jones-Drew and whoever else hyphenates their name on this team, the offense has gone from horrible to great in a matter of weeks. With a date against a banged up Seahawks team this Sunday, this team could be 3-2 and in playoff contention by the time I’m doing these rankings next week. I still don’t get why Jack Del Rio felt the need to pull the plug on David Garrard’s radio show when, in reality, he should be doing everything in his power to promote this team and get fans to the stadium.

16. Packers (15) – I might send in Pat Carey’s resume to play O-line for this team. What an awful showing Monday night. If they could have given a D performance, as opposed to an F, they might have won this game. That’s how good Aaron Rodgers has become. I’m sure the bye will do him well because I’m guessing he could barely walk this past Tuesday.

17. Chargers (9) – The defense is banged up and the team looks lethargic too often these days. That’s about all I’ve got for you on these guys. The Broncos may actually be the class of this division. Does anyone know if Shawne Merriman still plays?

18. Cowboys (16) – Remember a few years back when Jason Garrett was everyone’s next head coach? Remember when Tony Romo was “the next big thing”. How quickly things change. Note to Romo…next time you play the Broncos or any team with a shut down Cornerback, avoid throwing to their side. You aren’t Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, etc…you won’t beat them. Champ Bailey is better at what he does than you are at what you do. And Garrett, simplify the game plan. If I were a Cowboys fan, I would be more than frustrated knowing my team is probably headed for a .500 season with some of the talent they have. Don’t expect this road game against K.C. to be a layup either. They proved they struggle with bad teams against the Bucs in the first half of week 1 and the Panthers a couple of Monday nights ago.

19. Texans (23) – Great offensive showing. I’ll hold my praise of the defense for when they perform the way they did Sunday against a team without a pirate on the side of their helmet.

20. Cardinals (18) – Looking forward to a shootout in the desert this Sunday. I know it’s early but, this may be a must win for the Cardinals. The way the Niners are playing, they can’t afford to allow the distance between them get any wider.

21. Dolphins (25) – Regardless of who’s playing quarterback, this team can run the heck out of the football. My sleeper pick of the week is the Dolphins over the Jets Monday night.

22. Seahawks (20) – I’m going to continue to hold off on bashing this team until Matt Hasselback finally comes back.

23. Lions (24) – So much for a two game winning streak. On the bright side, these guys actually outplayed the Bears in the first half and Matt Stafford continued to look good and improve. Young teams don’t usually win these types of games and the Lions were no different but, Lions fans should be proud of the fight this team will put up week in and week out. On a down note, look for Stafford to sit the next couple of weeks with a displaced knee cap issue. They aren’t going to be risking the future of this franchise in a year where they have no shot at the playoffs.

24. Redskins (26) – Sorry Gordon, your boys still are pretty unimpressive. I heard they just lured Sherm Lewis away from his gig as a bingo coordinator though to help with the West Coast Offense. I guess that should work.

25. Titans (22) – I don’t care what Jeff Fisher continues to say…Vince Young will, and needs to, be under center in the next couple of weeks. This is a lost season and the Titans absolutely need to find out sooner, rather than later, whether or not Vince can be the face of this franchise for years to come.

26. Bills (21) – The way this offense is playing, look for their continued decline in these rankings and, more importantly, in the AFC East.

27. Carolina (27) – This team is as bad this week as they were last considering they had a bye.

28. Raiders (28) – Someone let me know when the Bruce Gradkowski era begins and I’ll go back to commenting on this team.

29. Chiefs (29) – Does Larry Johnson even play anymore? With the supposed depth they have at running back, shouldn’t they give Jammal Charles a chance soon? He’s only carried the ball 12 times this year.

30. Bucs (30) – I actually thought Josh Johnson looked solid this past week. Let’s face it, this team is too young to really compete right now but, the fight they continue to show has to be promising to management and young head coach Raheem Morris. Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier when they travel to Philly this weekend to face a healthy McNabb, Westbrook and Co.

31. Cleveland Browns (NR) – Congrats on getting back into the rankings. Considering the Gators had a bye this week, I had to throw the Browns a bone. For the first time all year, they actually put up a fight and looked “good” at times. The positive side of things is that Derek Anderson played well and should have cemented himself as the team’s starter. The negative is that they definitely got the short end of the Braylon Edwards trade. Sure they got a headache out of town but, they didn’t get much in return for a guy with a ton of talent whom plenty of teams would have overpaid for.

32. Rams (31) – This is one of the least talented teams I’ve ever seen. They have a career backup as their current starter, a horrible O-Line, the worst receiving core in the league and a running back who simply can’ t do it all on his own. I don’t envy Kyle Boller this week with Jared Allen coming to town.

~ Tim Rescigno, JAS NFL Correspondent

Sure, Favre knows the Vikings offense like the back of his hand, but what about the conditioning and the team building aspects training camp brings?  What about developing relationships and a sense of timing with your new cast of wide receivers?  I know certain vets have written off training camp and the preseason and that’s worked in some cases, but don’t you think a 39 year old coming off shoulder surgery would have been better served by attending training camp rather than throwing passes to high school kids in Mississippi? 

Despite only traveling to the Midwest a handful of times I can fully attest to the good nature of the majority of people who reside in that part of the country, however, I can’t imagine the anger that Packer fans feel right now.  Et tu, Brett?  Et tu?  I can’t think of anyone who has done more of a 180 in the face of their die- hard legion of fans.  As a non-Favre fan I always had respect for him.  I looked at Favre as a throwback to the mindset of NFL stars from the 60’s.  He possessed the hard-nose grit of Bart Starr with the fun loving demeanor of Art Donovan.  He was that good ole boy who happened to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.  Now I view Favre as a narcissistic waffle-er who announced his retirement three times in six months.  I no longer want to be on the receiving end of a patented Favre behind-the-back passes during a game of Wrangler Jeans touch football.  I just want Favre to go away.  Stop using your past accomplishments and self-serving attitude to bogart sports media coverage from now until February. 

From a football standpoint the deal is ehh to me.  I’m not one of the many who feel the addition of Favre has penciled the Vikings in for an early February trip to Miami.  Like I said earlier Favre is 39 years old, coming off shoulder surgery and an atrocious end to his ’08 season.  Over the last five seasons Favre has averaged 20 INTs per year.  I don’t think Favre’s game meshes well with a run-first, ball control, defensive minded team.  Some will point to Favre’s 2007 season and believe that he can just roll out of bed and play at a high level, but that was two years, two teams and an arm surgery ago…a lot can change in that time.  I just can’t think of too many quarterbacks that were relevant at age 39.  Johnny Unitas started and won Super Bowl five at the age of 37, John Elway won Super Bowl 33 at age 38, but that’s about it. 

I’m trying to view this move objectively, but it seems like an aging, bitter Favre is trying to take the easy road to one last super bowl (and revenge on the Packers).    

 ~ Pat Cary