Rick McGlothlin, Drafttek.com Senior Writer
Closing out the first half of the 2008 NFL season we still do not have clear-cut division leaders, nor is the playoff picture anywhere near clear. Another case in point today as the Browns upend the Jags, while Miami stuns Buffalo. The Monday night matchup between the Titans and Colts, however, could go a long way in determining the AFC South title. Right now, week 8 power rankings.
The big news is that the Primary Simulation will not longer be referred to as the Primary Simulation.
You know it’s a very odd football season when a 1-win team can make a Super Bowl contending team like Dallas look like a JV ballclub. That’s what happened today in St. Louis, and certainly sets the stage for further drama and mind-boggling events in the wacky 2008 NFL season. One thing that has remained consistent ( and perfect to date ) is the Titans of Tennessee, who holds onto their position at #1 in the latest edition of the rankings.
Here’s the rundown after week 7:
I was a bit under-the-weather the last week so I missed my Monday and Friday posts. I don’t feel much better today, but for a different reason. The Dolphins played mediocre and uninspiring football for the second straight week and now sit at 2-4. The wins against the Patriots and Chargers appear so far in the past I can’t even see them.
10/18/08 – Senior Writer, Scott Lilliston – Football Analyst and Team Correspondent
If you have a favorite NFL team or, heck, if you’ve ever rooted for ANY team, you have likely had one of those moments during the game where you just know this thing isn’t going to turn out well for your squad. It’s like seeing a black cat tapdance on a broken mirror under a ladder after he just knocked over the salt….or like being “Joe the Plumber.” You didn’t want to see it…you wish you hadn’t seen it….but these moments – these signs – set the fate of your team in stone.
Let’s look at one example from last week in the NFL. Rams vs. Skins at DC….Washington a two touchdown favorite to win after coming off back-to-back road wins against Dallas and Philly. The Rams, coming off a bye where they had just fired their coach, hadn’t won a game all year.
**NOW LET’S JUST STOP RIGHT HERE….let’s say you didn’t watch the game on Sunday and the next morning you hear that lead-in on your local or national sports station. You hear it just before they showed you the highlights….you could guess who won, couldn’t you? I mean, it even SOUNDS like a set-up! Interesting that you can’t spell “up-set,” without “set-up.”**
The game starts out well for the home team…recovered fumble at the Rams 2 yard line and then a 7-zip lead. But then something a little odd happens. On the next offensive possession, Rams QB Marc Bulger hits Redskins Middle Linebacker, London Fletcher right between the 5 and the 9, on a 15 yard square-in pattern intended for Torry Holt, and Fletcher drops the ball. Bulger gasps a big sigh of relief and then moves his team into scoring position. The lifeless Rams suddenly have life.
“No big deal,” I thought at the time, but if you did see the highlights, what followed was a circus that would make P.T. Barnum beam. Another dropped interception, on the SAME ROUTE, this time by Redskins safety, Laron Landry; and a lineman catching a batted pass and inexplicably trying to channel the ghost of Sweetness himself before being tackled and fumbling the ball. Of course the fumble is scooped up and ran back for 6 the other way.
Unbelievably, the Redskins are up by one point with 3:49 to go in the game. On third-and-long, with Skins CB Fred Smoot on the sideline tending to an injury, Marc Bulger tosses a wobbly, dead duck-looking ball down the field and underthrows second-round pick Donnie Avery by nearly ten yards. Avery is being covered by the Skins 4th corner with NO SAFETY HELP! This is because first year safety, Kareem Moore was suppose to blitz but he didn’t and got caught in no-man’s-land about 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Avery makes the adjustment and the CB doesn’t……BALL GAME. A field goal with no time remaining sinks the home team that was favored so heavily.
It’s important to note that ”The Set-Up Moment” as I’ll refer to it…isn’t always the biggest play of the game, or the turning point of the game, it’s just the sign, THE sign that you better put your thick-skin on for Monday at the office.
So why didn’t Skins fans see it coming? They should have…all the signs were there.
On to this week’s games…
Looking for a stud defensive lineman to put up a statement game? Keep your eyes on Texas Longhorn defensive lineman, Brian Orakpo. The Longhorns take on the number 11 ranked Missouri Tigers which will put Orakpo and his other 10 defensive pals to the test. One thing to look for: if Orakpo doesn’t have great stats after this game, see if his linemates do…Mizzou is bound to put two and even three blockers on Orakpo all day. Orakpo reminds me of a Patrick Kearney kind of pass rusher.
For an offensive player, look for this to be the day that Ohio State Freshman QB, Terrelle Pryor, introduces himself formally to college football. Though only a freshman, Pryor will be the jackpot in the 2011 draft.
For the Sunday matchups, there are several rookie running backs who should continue to shine. Look for the Lions’ Kevin Smith to break out against the Texans and Matt Forte and Chris Johnson for the Bears and Titans, respectively.
Interestingly, there has been no real front-runner for NFL defensive rookie of the year. The rookie of the month was Redskins 7th round safety Chris Horton, but no true leader at the quarter mark.
Matchup of the Week - For my money, it Denver QB, Jay Cutler vs. San Diego QB, Philip Rivers. No, their respective teams don’t play each other this weekend, but Cutler had some things to say about Rivers to the media while appearing on the Best Damn Sports Show. Dang boys, can’t we all just get along!?!? See it here… http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=44731688
Until next week, Tekkies….don’t let your meat loaf.
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-Michael Schottey: NFL Correspondent/Senior Writer
The Detroit Lions have tradeed WR Roy Williams and a 7th round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a 1st/3rd/6th round pick. Although I personally think Dallas was a team that wanted a WR more than needed one and that other teams should have been more desperate (Baltimore, Oakland, Seattle), I believe this is a good change for both teams.
Why this works for the Lions: The Detroit Lions need an overall and this move puts Martin Mayhew in a good position, it shows him as a long term thinker and he has already earned major points in the eyes of the fanbase. With so many needs to address, the Lions will have the draftpicks and the cap space to make significant changes.
Why this works for the Cowboys: Terrell Owens is not a one-man receiving corps. Hypothetically, the days of needing to force the ball to him are over. The team now has the best offense in the league on paper once Romo comes back. Signing all these young skill position players will be difficult in the future, but owner Jones wants to win now.
The Big Board was getting stale, having not been refreshed in over 5 weeks of college football action. It doesn’t look good to tout second string quarterbacks getting drafted in the 3rd round – Painter and Boeckmann. And several more top juniors and eligible sophs have joined the list.
So with an updated player list, and Mac’s latest Power rankings, Draft Tek presents In-Season simulation #3.
-War
Yet another wild day in the NFL, and the rankings continue to be a bit unsettled as five games come down to the final seconds and include losses by teams in the top five of my rankings. Let’s see how the list looks after this weekend of crazy endings.
Mike Schottey—Drafttek NFL Correspondent/Senior Writer
Hey Sports Fans, erstwhile blogger Michael Schottey here with my second mock of the 2009 season. Enjoy! This is a multi-faceted project. Version 1.0 was the first mock of the season on Drafttek which was replaced by the primary simulation. Fellow senior writer Rick McGlothlin and I will continue to tweak these mocks until January when we will be featured monthly on the main page. As always, feedback is fully encouraged and appreciated. I can be reached at MSchottey@drafttek.com
*denotes junior ® denotes redshirt sophomore
1. St. Louis—Michael Oher (OT-Ole Miss)
Team Profile: St. Louis would do well to trade down. In fact, in recent years, I cannot think of another team that had so many holes and aging veterans on one team. Areas of concern are the offensive line, linebacking and wide receiving corps and in the defensive backfield.
Player Profile: Michael Oher has been one of the top offensive line prospects for a very long time and this is the second year he could have been a top selection. Watching Oher extensively, he lacks overall polish but has nice athletic ability and a great trenches mentality. He is not as good as he will be.
Some intriguing contests will keep us fully occupied this weekend as the 6th week in the 2008 NFL season begins at 1 o’clock eastern for half of the league’s teams. While not making my marquee list, a very interesting matchup will feature the surprising Miami Dolphins against the snake-bitten Houston Texans. Also, Oakland vs New Orleans and Philadelphia vs San Francisco should be good ones as well, as three of those four teams battle for relevancy within their own divisions. Oakland, of course, isn’t going anywhere but is a team that can pop you if you’re not paying attention.
With that, here are my Marquee Matchups for the week:
