Some of my thoughts and observations that went unsaid on last night's recap show:
- Oh, so after all that, Mike Pettine is going to turn the ball back over to Brian Hoyer?? Okayyyy...actually, this may be another call over the coach's head, similar to how Rex Ryan isn't making the choice to run Geno Smith out there at QB for the Jets. Pettine may be forced to follow Jason's theory of sticking with Hoyer as Browns QB while they're in playoff contention. Pure speculation on my part, but imagine the backlash if a rookie Johnny Football flames out and takes Cleveland straight out of the postseason. Wouldn't that torpedo the current regime for the duration of Johnny Manziel's run, presuming he doesn't improve dramatically?
- What a breakdown as a team by the Giants in Jacksonville, but the most damning play had to be the Blake Bortles 30-yard TD throw to Marqise Lee. Whether it's lack of arm talent or lack of supporting cast talent, Bortles has been one of the most limp-wristed, impotent QBs in the league, and for him to pull that throw out showed how bad the G-Men were performing. Coach Tom Coughlin said after the game that they would have been better off kneeling out the game the entire 2nd half because it was a couple of fumbles that sparked the Jaguars comeback. That Giants unit is awful.
- I'm so sick of trying to figure out Andy Dalton and the Bengals. I said last night as he goes, the team goes, but there's no telling when he's going to go to the heights for his team or go #2 in the middle of the field. No pick for or against Cincinnati is the wrong pick, because you just can't tell.
- I'm also sick of the Steelers getting too cute for their own good. Todd Haley started the game having Ben Roethlisberger go bombs away on the first play right off the bye, and shocker, the timing was off and the pass was incomplete. He had a flea-flicker in that same first drive, but the timing was off and the pass was incomplete. Drew Brees and the Saints didn't start firing until halfway through the 2nd quarter, so if Pittsburgh had been smarter, they could have built a nice lead by then and withstood the onslaught. I knew that Jimmy Graham had not been targeted all game, but watching the tape, I saw how brilliant Brees played using Graham as a decoy. Ben Watson caught a TD where Graham drew zone coverage near the goal line and Watson was all alone, and from there, Brees exploited the bad CB play. Pittsburgh's tackling sucked, too.
- Those Drew Stanton INTs were WR miscommunications, not an Atlanta defensive uprising, but make no mistake, the Cardinals are struggling. As someone who always thought they were playing over their heads, this shouldn't be a surprise. I just hope I can take advantage and win some picks during this period where they seem to have fallen off, but unfortunately, Jason sees it too, so probably no such luck.
- Tremendous football in Green Bay from Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but it's worth mentioning once again that what Rodgers is doing is the stuff of unanimous MVPs. Good work by the Packers using Randall Cobb out of the backfield all night to keep the New England D off balance and create mismatches. Then after Jordy Nelson had been blanketed by Darrelle Revis, the quick slant for a TD with 23 seconds left in the 1st half was just a thing of beauty. As Jay pointed out, the Pats missed a FG that would have given him the pick, but Davonte Adams had a drop that could have cost Green Bay the game as well. And don't forget the Ha Ha Clinton-Dix breakup of Brady's toss to Rob Gronkowski that saved the day. Lots of heroes for the Pack, but none of it would have been possible without the King of Relax at the helm.
- And Sunday night provided a reminder of something I know but keep forgetting: Don't pick Kansas City in games where they may fall behind to a good offense, because Alex Smith just sucks. That comeback effort was more painful to watch than Derrick Rose trying to play basketball.
Week 13 Records--Dre 7-9, .438; Jay 4-12, .250
YTD Records--Dre 93-94-5, .497; Jay 91-96-5, .487
