Upon Further Review...

What a day of football! So many close games, so many shockers, and the entire league is upside down. There's a lot to talk about but before we get to the meat and potatoes I want to quickly discuss something. In the wake of the destruction caused by Ed Hochuli's decision last week, I think it needs to be pointed out that Mike Carey is a heck of a ref. There is never a doubt when I see Carey on the field, that the right call will be made. He does an excellent job, he's always on top of whatever is going on, and is a credit to officiating in the National Football League. I know it's odd to see someone raving about a ref, but I just finished watching the Cowboys/Packers game, and he did another great job with that game. Add to that his terrific performance in the Super Bowl last season, and there isn't much question who I want officiating my games at any given time. Now let's get to the review!

Not Your Older Twin Brother's Patriots
If I came up to you going into the season and said, "Bet your life that the Patriots don't lose to the Dolphins for the next 3 years, and you will win $10,000,000.00" how many people would have taken that bet? I would've bet my life and a few of my friends' lives too. Was Belichick even at this game? How do you get beat on the same play like that over and over again? What really stings is that this Dolphins team was actually talking smack going into the game. That defense looked old, and suspect yesterday. Cris Collinsworth made a great point yesterday talking about this game. He pointed out that as long as the Patriots don't air out the deep threat with Randy Moss, teams are going to be able to stop the dinks, dunks, and screens that Belichick is so fond of. Unfortunately for the Patriots, it doesn't seem like Cassel has the talent to air it deep to Moss, so this team may be in a little bit of trouble. It was just weird seeing this team get undressed like that at home.

Eli really is a Manning
People who know me, know that I have always promoted Eli's ability in the clutch. I was at the Giants-Bengals game yesterday, and I noticed something. I'm not sure if it's the effect of last season's Super Bowl, or maybe I'm starting to get used to his clutch ability, but somewhere along the way I've gained that swagger that Colts and Patriots fans have. I'm not talking about quality of team, but for the first time in my life, I wasn't really nervous when the Giants went down late in the 4th quarter yesterday, and then when they were pushed to overtime. I absolutely knew that Eli and the offense would get it done. It was like when you watch Peyton or Brady take their team onto the field when you know they need points, and you know they're going to get them. Eli has come to that level to me at this point. One last note on the game. The Giants played at their absolute worst, and the Bengals at their absolute best, and the Giants came out with a clutch win. I know it wasn't pretty, but it was an important win. It had all the makings of a trap game, against another poor opponent going into the bye week, and the Giants came out with a good win. Not as nice as beating the Packers in Green Bay by double digits, but nice.

The Bills Need To Wear Those Uniforms All the Time
They may be the nicest uniforms in the league. This may be one of the better teams in the league. OK, I don't really think that, but they are definitely in the top ten. First place, 3-0, and looking sound at every point of the ball, it's a good time to be a Buffalo fan. I still have my doubts though. Let's see how well this team is performing when it gets a little colder out. Similar situation to the Giants with a possibility for a letdown game against the lowly Raiders, but this team is becoming a hallmark of consistency. Trent Edwards isn't making mistakes, and I swear that Marshawn Lynch's stat line never changes. Every week I check it out, and every week it's 80 yards and a touchdown. This team wins with defense though. Dick Jauron has assembled 11 young ballhawks, who swarm on every play. They are quick, hit hard, create turnovers, and will be annoying for any offense to face. Remember Jets fans, November 2 is the day to mark on the calendar.


Eagles Win, But Lose
Last week I wrote that article about how I'm not ready for the plunge of the next few weeks. What are Philly fans going through right now? To go along with the Phillies-Mets brawl that's draining the entire Eastern Seaboard, they go through that shootout in Dallas, than beat a good Steelers team, but may have lost superstud Brian Westbrook. The MRI will be tomorrow, and x-rays came back negative, but a word of note; x-rays came back negative for Osi Umenyiora too. They cannot afford to lose Westbrook, it would be crippling to them. Their defense won that game for them yesterday, and there are some questions that need to be asked about that Steelers offensive line. Is it that they can only run block and melt down when it comes to pass blocking, or is it that Big Ben needs to work on his timing? This was a problem last year for the Steelers, and I'm starting to wonder if this team is as good as I thought they were after week one. Bad game last week, I chalked it up to bad weather. Bad game this week, it needs to go on the offense.

Minnesota and Jacksonville Stay Alive
And they stay alive at the expense of some good teams, too. Minnesota beats a Carolina team that ADDED Steve Smith, and Jacksonville beats Indy at the buzzer. Indy still hasn't won at the Oilwell, and they are at a miserable 1-2 mark. Those Jaguars-Colts games are always close, so if you're an Indy fan you shouldn't be worried just yet. Did you ever think that Colts-Patriots game later this year would be for an advantage in the Wild Card race? How weird is that? The Colts are 2 games behind the steaming hot Titans, and the Jaguars are now tied with them. Gus Frerotte made Brad Childress look smart, and is aiming to become the 2008 winner of the Brad Johnson "Game Manager" Award. He joins the ranks of Trent Dilfer, Jeff Garcia, Brad Johnson, and several other Buccaneers quarterbacks from the last decade. Frerotte is at least enough of a threat that Purple Jesus doesn't have to worry about teams stacking 10 people in the box. The guy picked up 150 yards on 30 carries last week regardless, what's he going to do with space now?


The Cowboys Can Be Had
Look, I'm going to put them in the number one slot. I get it they're 3-0, they beat the Eagles and Packers, those are good wins. I won't dispute it. But this team can be had. Nobody can tell me they watched this team in those last two games and they thought that the Cowboys looked invincible. Some of Tony Romo's decision making looks awfully questionable, and I'm convinced that Wade Phillips isn't even coaching this team. Look at it like this, they were really lucky to get out of that Eagles game with a win. They played a short-stacked Packers secondary, and that game was awfully tight for a long time. Marion Barber is the key to this team though. The other pieces are just complimentary parts to the machinery. The trick with this Cowboys team is that you can't really stack the box because of the threat that T.O. poses, and Romo's ability to air out the deep ball. That gives Barber the space he needs to run, and in reality he doesn't even need space because he's a banger. They're good, Barber is great, but I'm convinced they can be had.

The Upper Class

1. Dallas Cowboys (3-0) Can't dispute the facts, they are 3-0 and they've beaten two of the better teams in the NFC.

2. New York Giants (3-0) Still don't know how good this team is, but you can only beat who's in front of you.

3. Tennessee Titans (3-0) Understand this, if you can pound the ball like they can, and your defense can snuff teams out the way they have been doing, you are one of the best teams in football.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) Excellent job beating Pittsburgh, WITHOUT WESTBROOK. Still, if they lose him, they're done.

5. Buffalo Bills (3-0) I just have that feeling like this team is bound to finish the season 9-7 after this great start.

6. Denver Broncos (3-0) Enough with the heart-pounders Shanahan. I'd feel better about this team if they could play defense.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) First real chance to prove themselves, and they fell short. We'll see with these guys.

8. New England Patriots (2-1) Someone beat them

9. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) Dump Tavaris Jackson and you instantly become better. That's what we learned.

10. Carolina Panthers (2-1) They're pretty mediocre, and they're only holding this spot until we figure out a few other teams.

J-E-T-S BRETT BRETT BRETT BRETT
I think Air Brett makes its debut tonight. Mangini was under a little bit of pressure for running the ball three straight times against the Patriots last week, and now that Favre has had over a month with the playbook, he should be able to make some plays tonight. I like the Jets to win this game, I think it will come down to who has the better defense, and honestly I'm not really sure how much of a competition that is. I think the Jets are a better team on the defensive side of the ball, and that will give them the game, but then again when a team has a player like LaDainian Tomlinson anything can happen. Take the Jets (getting 9 points) and the over, whatever it may be. Norv Turner starts polishing his "Offensive Coordinator Resume" tonight.