Football Fan Site

Florio: Loser of Jags-Jets likely will miss playoffs, and 9 other shocking storylines

The governor of Massachusetts said Friday there is no connection between big donations to him and the Democratic Party from the family that owns the New England Patriots and the state’s support for development across the road from Gillette Stadium.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -As Jamal Lewis backtracked on his stinging comments directed at Cleveland coach Eric Mangini for overworking his players, several of the Browns gathered near the running back’s locker. One of them even stood on a nearby chair.

Bears QB Jay Cutler was fined $20,000 for “abusive conduct” toward a game official in Chicago’s loss to the Cardinals last week.

Walker

Oakland receiver Javon Walker has asked to be released, according to the Oakland Tribune.



Walker is frustrated that he has not been allowed to make an impact this season. He insists he is healthy and ready to make an impact.



The Raiders are thirsty for help from their receivers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, they have thrown to their receivers the second fewest amount of times in the NFL. They have started two rookie receivers all season. Still, Walker has been a nonfactor.



It remains to be seen whether the Raiders will grant Walker’s request. He isn’t playing much, so it doesn’t seem like it would affect the team one way or another.



Walker has been a major bust since he signed a huge contract prior to the 2008 season. He took a major pay cut to stay in Oakland this season.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -Browns coach Eric Mangini has defended his practices one day after running back Jamal Lewis complained that Cleveland’s players are being worked too hard.

If you walked into the New Orleans locker room after Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, you’d swear the Saints had just lost.



“You can’t keep putting yourself into a hole,’’ veteran safety Darren Sharper was saying in one corner.



“We might as well just give teams 10 points before the game starts,’’ tight end Jeremy Shockey said halfway across the locker room from Sharper. “We’ve got to stop doing that.’’



Yes, we all know the Saints didn’t lose that game. They’re 8-0 and, through the first half of the season, the very best team in the NFL.



But this talk of doom also has prevailed in recent victories against Atlanta and Miami. In the wee hours Tuesday morning after a 35-27 Monday night victory against Atlanta, a cab driver was singing the blues as he pulled away from the Superdome.



“That’s too many points to give up,’’ he said. “Way too many points.’’



It’s that way wherever you go in New Orleans. Players, coaches, cab drivers, fans … they’re all pointing out flaws when their team is perfect. More than a little ironic for a team that’s spent almost its entire existence as lovable losers.



Heck, they’re even worried about Sunday’s game against the mighty St. Louis Rams.



“They have some very talented people that have played at a Pro Bowl level for several years at some key positions that we’re going to have to defend defensively,’’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “They have some really talented players.’’



Um, no, the Rams do not. They are really, really bad and so are the Buccaneers, whom the Saints play next week. Reality is the Saints already are 10-0. Their offense is on pace to be one of the best in history, their defense has undergone one of the most impressive turnarounds I’ve ever seen and the remaining schedule isn’t very difficult.



I almost want to call this bashing of the Saints by just about everyone inside the team and the team’s fans laughable or some kind of out-of-control paranoia. But I can understand the paranoia. I was a fan of the Boston Red Sox long before that became trendy or good for your sanity and self-esteem.



But, after thinking about it a bit, I think what the Saints and their fans are doing is totally healthy and wise. They’re searching for perfection every week now because they want perfection at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s what they should be shooting for.



They’re already halfway there.



There’s nothing wrong with dwelling on some small imperfections — letting Carolina and Miami get off to big leads and letting Atlanta’s Michael Turner turn his season around. Those things, inconsistent play by the special teams and a few other minor details are the only true negatives you can pin on the Saints in their first half of the season.



“We keep saying, “We need to clean things up. We need to clean things up’’,’’ Shockey said. “The thing is, we haven’t done that yet, but things are still bouncing our way, unlike the past. But it’s going to come back to bite us if we don’t clean things up. We have something very special going on here. If we clean these things up, the sky is the limit.’’



Actually, the Super Bowl and maybe an undefeated season are the limits.



“We haven’t played a perfect game yet,’’ Sharper said.



The Saints did pretty much steamroll their first five opponents, never trailing a single time. And, really, can you be perfect all the time?



“I don’t think there’s ever been a perfect game,’’ Shockey said.



I don’t either. I don’t remember many details of the perfect season by the 1972 Dolphins because I was too young, but I’m sure Don Shula saw a few things along the way that weren’t perfect. The closest thing I’ve ever seen to a perfect game was the performance by Villanova in the 1985 college basketball national championship game against Georgetown.



The thing there was Villanova had to play a perfect game, just to have a chance. In relative terms, the Saints are way more talented than Villanova because they’ve got Drew Brees at point guard and Marques Colston‘s more of a banger than Ed Pinckney ever was. The Saints don’t have to be perfect, but, yes, they do have to be a little better than they’ve been — at times — in the last three games.



“We keep going like this and my blood pressure is going to be high,’’ Sharper said. “And the fans’ blood pressure is going to be high.’’



It’s great that the Saints have shown the leadership and the character to come back from deficits. But Sharper is right. You can’t do that every week. You need to survive some games like that, if you’re going to have a truly special season. But you also need to steamroll a bunch of your opponents and you also need to be playing your best in December, January and into February.



“Our goal is to play the perfect game,’’ Sharper said.



Not a bad goal to have. It may not be all that realistic because there are bound to be some more mistakes along the way. But I think it’s a huge plus the Saints can at least see their flaws now. If they can gradually clean up their imperfections, the Saints ultimately just might have a shot at perfection.

If you walked into the New Orleans locker room after Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, you’d swear the Saints had just lost.



“You can’t keep putting yourself into a hole,’’ veteran safety Darren Sharper was saying in one corner.



“We might as well just give teams 10 points before the game starts,’’ tight end Jeremy Shockey said halfway across the locker room from Sharper. “We’ve got to stop doing that.’’



Yes, we all know the Saints didn’t lose that game. They’re 8-0 and, through the first half of the season, the very best team in the NFL.



But this talk of doom also has prevailed in recent victories against Atlanta and Miami. In the wee hours Tuesday morning after a 35-27 Monday night victory against Atlanta, a cab driver was singing the blues as he pulled away from the Superdome.



“That’s too many points to give up,’’ he said. “Way too many points.’’



It’s that way wherever you go in New Orleans. Players, coaches, cab drivers, fans … they’re all pointing out flaws when their team is perfect. More than a little ironic for a team that’s spent almost its entire existence as lovable losers.



Heck, they’re even worried about Sunday’s game against the mighty St. Louis Rams.



“They have some very talented people that have played at a Pro Bowl level for several years at some key positions that we’re going to have to defend defensively,’’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “They have some really talented players.’’



Um, no, the Rams do not. They are really, really bad and so are the Buccaneers, whom the Saints play next week. Reality is the Saints already are 10-0. Their offense is on pace to be one of the best in history, their defense has undergone one of the most impressive turnarounds I’ve ever seen and the remaining schedule isn’t very difficult.



I almost want to call this bashing of the Saints by just about everyone inside the team and the team’s fans laughable or some kind of out-of-control paranoia. But I can understand the paranoia. I was a fan of the Boston Red Sox long before that became trendy or good for your sanity and self-esteem.



But, after thinking about it a bit, I think what the Saints and their fans are doing is totally healthy and wise. They’re searching for perfection every week now because they want perfection at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s what they should be shooting for.



They’re already halfway there.



There’s nothing wrong with dwelling on some small imperfections — letting Carolina and Miami get off to big leads and letting Atlanta’s Michael Turner turn his season around. Those things, inconsistent play by the special teams and a few other minor details are the only true negatives you can pin on the Saints in their first half of the season.



“We keep saying, “We need to clean things up. We need to clean things up’’,’’ Shockey said. “The thing is, we haven’t done that yet, but things are still bouncing our way, unlike the past. But it’s going to come back to bite us if we don’t clean things up. We have something very special going on here. If we clean these things up, the sky is the limit.’’



Actually, the Super Bowl and maybe an undefeated season are the limits.



“We haven’t played a perfect game yet,’’ Sharper said.



The Saints did pretty much steamroll their first five opponents, never trailing a single time. And, really, can you be perfect all the time?



“I don’t think there’s ever been a perfect game,’’ Shockey said.



I don’t either. I don’t remember many details of the perfect season by the 1972 Dolphins because I was too young, but I’m sure Don Shula saw a few things along the way that weren’t perfect. The closest thing I’ve ever seen to a perfect game was the performance by Villanova in the 1985 college basketball national championship game against Georgetown.



The thing there was Villanova had to play a perfect game, just to have a chance. In relative terms, the Saints are way more talented than Villanova because they’ve got Drew Brees at point guard and Marques Colston‘s more of a banger than Ed Pinckney ever was. The Saints don’t have to be perfect, but, yes, they do have to be a little better than they’ve been — at times — in the last three games.



“We keep going like this and my blood pressure is going to be high,’’ Sharper said. “And the fans’ blood pressure is going to be high.’’



It’s great that the Saints have shown the leadership and the character to come back from deficits. But Sharper is right. You can’t do that every week. You need to survive some games like that, if you’re going to have a truly special season. But you also need to steamroll a bunch of your opponents and you also need to be playing your best in December, January and into February.



“Our goal is to play the perfect game,’’ Sharper said.



Not a bad goal to have. It may not be all that realistic because there are bound to be some more mistakes along the way. But I think it’s a huge plus the Saints can at least see their flaws now. If they can gradually clean up their imperfections, the Saints ultimately just might have a shot at perfection.

There are all sorts of ways to hash it out. Personal stats. Championships. Supporting casts. Sketch comedy.



All of it comes into play when debating Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the greatest quarterbacks of this generation. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky and AFC East blogger Tim Graham could have made their exchange a little more interesting by backing the superduperstar from the opposite division, but each is genuine in his belief that one is better than the other.



Paul Kuharsky: When we did our all-decade team in June, I didn’t bemoan the selection of Tom Brady as the quarterback. Brady’s three rings and four Super Bowl appearances to Peyton Manning’s one ring and one appearance broke any sort of tie. But I’ll admit some of the debate it sparked out of Indianapolis prompted me to think more about the Brady-Manning debate. I made an argument for Manning as the all-decade MVP, as he has outpointed Brady in MVP awards, 3-1.



You can’t go wrong with either. And I think, barring diehards on either side, that’s accepted pretty universally.



I remain staunch in one belief: I don’t think the strength or weakness of the supporting cast should be a huge factor. Still, on Manning’s side of this debate right now, it has to be noted that he has an unimpressive rushing attack. People know he’s going to throw it, and he’s still been able to pick apart defenses with perfectly placed passes. Watching him closely through the first half of this season, it’s his consistent precision that has led me to think he may be the better quarterback and that as career-defining as championships may be, postseason performance doesn’t have to be the gavel that ends these conversations. Besides, he’s not finished yet.



Tim Graham: You don’t get to make the rules, slick. If I want to consider the supporting cast, then that’s what I’m going to do. But I’ll be quick about it because I hear where you’re coming from. Brady’s running back for the first two Super Bowls was Antowain Smith. His top receiver each year they won it all was Troy Brown, Deion Branch and David Givens. Not awful, but not Marvin Harrison either.



How many future Hall of Famers played on all three Patriots championship teams? I count one for sure: Brady. Maybe Adam Vinatieri or Richard Seymour gets in, but I’ve written about that before, and I can sense the readers’ eyes are starting to cross as they fight through this material again. Brady won Super Bowls with good team players around him, but no stars to generate the type of stats Manning delivers. Yet when Brady got Randy Moss and Wes Welker to play with, the Patriots’ offense broke records.



PK: Broke records, yes. Won the big one, no. So there goes the theory that if you have a great supporting cast, you should win it. Last time the Pats won it, Moss was still a Viking and Welker was with the Dolphins. Again, I’m a big Brady fan and love his body of work. He’s done what was needed to win a lot of playoff games, and Manning hasn’t matched him there. But the perception is Brady lights it up in the postseason and Manning chokes.



Yet in roughly the same number of games, Manning averages about 50 more passing yards and they are virtually identical from there: 1.5 touchdown passes a game, between 0.7 and 0.8 interceptions per game and completion percentages right around 62. Brady edges Manning in postseason passer rating by the whopping margin of 88.0 to 85.0.



I don’t want to make it all about numbers, but looking at per-game averages in the regular season, Manning has the edge in yards (261.8 to 238.1) and touchdown passes (1.89 to 1.76), with Brady ahead only in interceptions (.75 to .92). Manning also has a higher regular-season completion percentage (64.7 to 63.2) and passer rating (95.3 to 93.4).



TG: Oy. So Manning wins one Super Bowl, yet Brady doesn’t get credit for a great 2007 because he went 18-1 and didn’t get a fourth ring? Thirty franchises wish they’d failed so miserably that year.



For me, it comes down to postseason excellence. Some players are able to handle the klieg lights better than others, and Brady might be the greatest big-stage quarterback of all time. Manning doesn’t choke in the playoffs, and whoever claims that is foolish. His playoff record is almost .500, appropriate given that he’s playing against the best teams in the league. As competitive as the NFL postseason is, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. But that makes Brady’s playoff record all the more astounding. Brady is 14-3, a winning percentage of .824 against top-shelf opposition.



Brady never has lost his first playoff game of any postseason, whether in the wild-card or the divisional round. He’s clutch when it counts.



PK: Thirty franchises wish they failed as miserably as the team that made it to the Super Bowl and lost every year. And most of them wish they had Manning or Brady as their signal-caller.



Brady’s knee injury last season was unfortunate and freakish, but too many conversations take place about tough quarterbacks without Manning as a central figure, and he’s as durable as they come. He’s on track to win a second MVP in a row and fourth overall, and he’s hardly close to finished. Have we even seen him at his best yet?



We have on “Saturday Night Live.” They’re both good-humored, but I think Manning and his rocket arm get the edge when comparing their “SNL” appearances. That fake United Way commercial was just classic, and I read recently that when Manning banished the kid to the Port-a-John he was improvising. Brilliant stuff.



TG: I’ll concede that United Way spoof was hilarious, maybe one of the top 25 bits “SNL” ever has done. And Manning has a definite edge when it comes to commercials. I’ve never seen somebody so theatrically versatile, from “Cut that meat!” to keeping the San Diego Chicken from mauling an electronics customer.



But Brady’s acting résumé is pretty solid. He has pulled off the comedy trifecta of “SNL,” “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” He was on “Entourage” and appeared in the Farrelly Brothers film “Stuck on You.”



But, as mentioned before, Brady’s at his best when the world is watching him on the Super Bowl stage. When I think of the NFL’s consummate leading man, it’s Brady.



PK: Unless it’s Manning.