Gut check

Lots to talk about. A real standout week. Good and bad.

As usual I'll start with my team. In a word, horrible. Now there are no good losses, not for a team that's supposed to be a playoff contender. But this was a wretched defeat today at the hands of a terrible team in Georgia. And normally you can just blame the whole team for a poor effort. But today, it was all about one man. The quarterback.

In 2005, we could've drafted Braylon, Ware, or Merriman had we traded down in the first round. Sure we nabbed Gore in Round 3. And in Mr. Smith's defense, the best QB taken that year was...Derek Anderson? But no matter how you slice it, one thing's for sure: thus far, Alex Smith, out of Utah, #1 overall in 2005, has been a bust. An absolute bust. Yes he improved last season after a putrid '05, but the guy is not ready to be an NFL starting QB. Nobody wanted to admit this for the '07 season, but it's true. Sure he matriculated a gutty fourth-quarter comeback against the Cardinals at home, but today's performance was horrendous. 3 picks, no TDs, no ability at the end of the game, even with all the receiving weapons healthy. All this against the Falcons???!!? Yes Gore was out, but Robinson and Hicks did an admirable job filling in. We have no choice but to stick with ASmith, but I for one don't like the way this has turned out at all.

The turnaround has to come now, and in a big way. As usual, I have hope. Thanks to the Browns showing some heart and the Bucs playing some D, both other non-winless NFC West teams fell on the road today. Man am I ever thankful we play in the worst division in football. In fact, all West teams (AFC included) lost today, a nifty 0-7 against seven teams that didn't make the playoffs last year. Perhaps the Oregon Ducks are the best football team on the west side this season. Yikes. Anyways, next week's Monday Night tilt (you can hear ESPN shouting for joy...) between the Niners and Seahawks is a playoff game. If the Niners win, and they did last year in Seattle when no one thought they could, then the division title can still be captured. If not, we're on the clock. And hey, if our first-round pick is a QB, I wouldn't be shocked...but OH SNAP no first-round pick this year (goes to the Pats). Unbelievable.

There's my Niners rant, but a lot of the happenings this week focused on the performances of the quarterbacks. The two best in the game (and the decade) squared off today, and by all accounts, this game was a letdown. Too many turnovers, no clean drives, questionable penalties...just no continuity with the passing game. It even got to a point where I would've switched to the Browns-Seahawks game if possible. But of course, the Pats will go undefeated now, while the Colts will have that injury excuse in their backpockets up until the rematch in Foxboro in late January. I do give a shoutout to both defenses though. That's what made this game so amazing: not only were the two offenses explosive, but the two defenses came in as the best in the league. It's just too bad the QBs didn't live up to the hype. But a win is all that matters, and Brady got it done.

Other notes: how about the NFC North going 3-0 against the AFC West today? Looks like Eric might be correct with regards to the "second-tier" teams. The Packers, now 7-1, just won games in Denver and Kansas City, after beating the Chargers at home earlier in the season. The Lions, now 6-2 (really!?) proved to the NFL they belong after basically ending the Broncos' season. And the Vikes proved that Philip Rivers can't be trusted to lead the Chargers to a Super Bowl. Shoutout to Antonio Cromartie's 109-yard return though. Also coming up big: the Saints, now back in the race, the team no one wants to play, the team likely to win the division. You can see there will be some fantastic finishes in the NFC this year: the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins still have four games against one another, the Bucs and Saints will play in N'Awlens in a month, and the Pack and Lions have TWO games left, including a tremendous Thanksgiving matchup. And oh yeah, to repeat, the West is a joke.

Two AFC teams made leaps this week: Are the Bills for real? Are the Browns seriously poised to grab a playoff spot? For Buffalo, two games against Miami help, but a tough schedule will likely keep them around 7-9. Still, that's about three times as many wins as I thought they'd have. And hey what can I say, it's just Cleveland's year this year, with the Cavs and Tribe unfurling breakout seasons too. It'll prolly turn out the same way for the Dawgpounders: make the playoffs or come close, but choke at the end. Still, it is nice to see the kids Braylon, Kellen, and Derek Anderson revive Cleveland football. Doesn't hurt to have ex-con Jamal score four. The Chiefs missed a chance to catch up on the Chargers, but that battle isn't over; remember, KC went to SD and won there. Either way, they'll be in a nice race with Jax, Cleveland, and Baltimore at year's end for the last spot.

Last words...all in all, a refreshing Sunday of football with some exciting finishes and stellar play. But it's time to put Adrian Peterson's season into perspective. He's a rookie on a team with no quarterback and a shaky coach. He's on pace for over 2,000 yards. He broke the single-game rushing record in his eighth game as a pro. He's going to lead the league in rushing, earn a trip to Honolulu, and likely finish #2 in the MVP voting to Brady. Who can stop him? The Chargers entered the season with one of the toughest run defenses in the league. Today they looked like a high school team from Kansas (the ones on the other side of 72-0). Bottom line: "Purple Jesus" is now the standard for any RB in the NFL. Not just rookie RBs either. Let's just hope the ride continues on through when the Vikings actually get a productive QB.