The Football Diner Big Top 5
Christmas Gifts
by Jody Jamieson
24/12/2008
It's Santa time again and as always there are players, coaches and owners who won't enjoy a very Merry Christmas this year. Whether your team is winless, or just simply under performing, it can be a tough life in the NFL when things aren't going to plan. So, being the festive guy I am, I once again put on the Santa hat, and hand out presents to those in the league who need some consideration this Christmas. Top Fives is no Grinch after all.
5. Dallas Cowboys - The gift of calm
 It's been another bizarre season in Texas. Of course, I still have the feeling that Jerry Jones not only enjoys all the controversy and publicity, but absolutely promotes it. Jones has never been scared to take a shot on a guy with character issues which can be a good way to do business as usually these guys are talents who are available at low risk-high reward prices. Sometimes it pays off. Regardless of the opinion of Terrell Owens, he's a playmaker and makes the Cowboys offense better. Pacman Jones was certainly a position of need, but his inability to stay out of the spotlight cost him 4 games. The problem can always be when you put so many combustible personalities together as a unit (and it's a combustible personality that assembles said unit) then don't be surprised when it blows up in your face. Terrell Owens complaining about Jason Witten seeing more balls than him was pretty sad when all is said and done. Too many times we see Romo throw an interception while trying to force the ball into a tight window to Owens. You wonder if the quarterback feels the pressure.
Win or lose, playoffs or no playoffs, the best thing that could happen to the Dallas Cowboys is for 2009 to be a stress free year, with nothing going on off the field. No players fighting with bodyguards and getting suspended. No diva wide receivers creating stupid controversies. No owner questioning Marion Barber's toughness. Jones needs to take a step back. Owens needs to stop whining. Pacman has to either behave or be shipped out. You saw it last year when TO was behaving, Pacman wasn't an issue, and Jerry Jones was in the background that the team was a juggernaut that maybe just peaked a little too soon, but a team that was certainly capable of going all the way.
They could still do it this year, but it's going to be very tough.
4. Lovie Smith - The gift of offensive talent
I tried to give Lovie exactly the same thing last season. Maybe my letter got lost in the mail. Despite the Bears defense not playing quite to it's best last year, it was still completely out performing the offense. This year the defense is getting back to it's best despite some injuries, but the promising start to the season by Kyle Orton seems a distant memory. Quite how Green Bay found a way to lose on Monday is a mystery. Orton and the offense looked terrible, with only Matt Forte showing any resistance, but it got so bad at times, that the Packers didn't even have to respect the slight possibility of the pass. Orton doesn't disguise what he's doing and it was highlighted perfectly on his 4th quarter interception against the Packers. Staring down his receiver the whole time, and threw a ball that was easily picked off. If you ever watch the America's Game of the Super Bowl XXXVI winning Patriots, listen to Lawyer Milloy talking about Brady in practice and how much he improved from his rookie season to his second Training Camp by simply looking off defensive backs. Orton is no Brady in terns of accuracy obviously, but he's not a bad passer. However, when the defense knows where he's throwing, then it makes it so much easier to make a play.
I was surprised the Bears didn't Draft a quarterback in the first few rounds this year, and with a slightly weak class coming out, they may not go down that road this year. I have a feeling Donovan McNabb will request a trade this off-season from Philadelphia, and he could be the guy for Chicago. I've always wanted to see what McNabb could do in a different system, and with a coach that likes to pound the ball on the ground to set up the pass. Of course, the Eagles have rarely had the stud receiver for McNabb, and the Bears receiving core is worse than Philly's, but if Smith could build his offense around McNabb and Forte, he could be onto a winner.
3. Jay Cutler - The gift of defense
 Cutler has his inconsistent weeks without question, but when you break down the situations he's found himself in, he's had an excellent season. 16 Interceptions seems a lot but when you rank it against how often he has to throw the ball, it's not so terrible. He's had a decent running game this year, but it seems like it's a different guy every week as his backs are dropping like flies, and it got so bad they had their full back at running back because there was no-one else (and now he's on Injured Reserve) and while whoever suited up was still getting yardage, it's a difficult situation for a quarterback.
Cutler has had his inconsistencies as I said last week, but it's really a tough mindset going into a game knowing 28 points will probably not get it done. Denver just cannot stop the run, and it nullifies their one great weapon on defense in Champ Bailey. Bailey is one of the true shutdown corners in the National Football League, but when you can pound it up the middle for 5 or 6 yards every time, then the passing game becomes a whole lot easier. Denver's defense seems to be based on speed, and I'm always a believer that speedy and undersized defenses are best suited to playing Cover 2, which from the few times I've seen Denver play, doesn't seem to be something they use too often. Of course, if you can't stop the run, it doesn't matter what your bases defense is as it won't stop the pass. Mike Shanahan has gone through quite a few defensive coordinators in recent times, but maybe it's time to have a look at the players he's bringing in and refine his own philosophy on that side of the ball. There's no way this team would have an important game this weekend if they could play defense. They'd have won the division weeks ago.
2. Adrian Peterson - The gift of a passing game
Admit it, despite this being only Adrian Peterson's second year in the league, you've already given some consideration to the possibility we are witnessing a Hall of Fame career. Peterson is simply fantastic. The guy has a rare combination of speed, power, elusiveness, and agility you just don't see on a regular basis. His rookie season was a thing of beauty, and he's putting together an even better year in 2008. Whether it's Tavaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte under centre, teams are stacking the box daring the Vikings to pass. While neither Jackson nor Frerotte get it done on a consistent basis, They can still run Peterson right at the 8 or even 9 men in the box, and he will still gain good yardage.
With most of the players tipped a few weeks ago tailing off, Peterson has a real shot at being the MVP. Sure, he may not have the 19 rushing TD's DeAngelo Williams has, but he's such a weapon and has had some huge games and put Minnesota over the top in some really tough games. But for 2009 I hope that either Tavaris Jackson can finally get it going, or from somewhere they acquire a quarterback that cannot be dismissed by the defense. If they get a proper passer, then this could be a scary team for a very long time.
1. Rod Marinelli - The gift of a win
 0-15 is the new mark for incompetence in the NFL. The 0-14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers from their first season in the league has been overtaken by a team so futile, that even when you think it's set up for them to get a win against the New Orleans Saints, they get blown out by 35 points and the game is over after the first quarter. As much as it's tough to feel sorry for anyone who was involved in causing this catastrophe, the reporter who asked if Marinelli wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator (Joe Barry, defensive coordinator of the Lions is Marinelli's son-in-law) should be ashamed of himself. From top to bottom, everyone involved in assembling this team deserves a share of the blame, and the Head Coach can't remain blameless. Detroit had a chance to be 1-1 but completely fell apart against the Packers, who they will face this Sunday at Lambeau Field.
I think the Lions as an organisation deserve to go 0-16, but if they do, I will feel sorry for the fans who really do not deserve it. Green Bay somehow contrived to lose a game that shouldn't have been close against the Bears on Monday and have been in a tailspin of late. You can't trust the Lions to do anything, but they've got a chance. Win or lose, they're still on the clock and will get a chance to redeem all the bad work Matt Millen and his staff have done over the past few years. But much like those Buccaneers of 30 years ago, no-one will forget the first ever 0-16 team.
Random Thoughts
When a stadium is closing it's doors for the last time, it's always the done thing to remember those great moments said stadium hosted. However one of the most memorable Cowboys moments of the Texas Stadium timescale was actually at the Meadowlands when Emmitt Smith separated his shoulder, and kept on playing to help Dallas beat the giants 16-13 and clinch a playoff place on the final day of the regular season. the Cowboys went onto beat the Bills in the Super Bowl. So in the finale of Texas Stadium the same happened again, but this time it was not a Cowboy, but Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason. Mason, who had shoulder problems earlier in the season, helped carry his team over the finish line to spoil the party in heroic fashion. Injured early in the first quarter and running routes with his left arm literally hanging by his side, Mason kept making catches which helped Baltimore keep their play-off hopes in their own hands. 6 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown was a fabulous performance playing with an injury that would have kept most players on the sidelines.
So naturally the whole question of the playoff format will come into question with the possibility of two 8-8 teams winning their divisions while an 11 win team sits at home. When you put it like that it makes no sense, but what do the complainers propose they do about it? A lot of the people in the American media whining about it are the same people who whine about hockey and the NBA allowing too many teams to make the playoffs. Yet what they don't realise is the best way to stop this from happening is to allow more teams to qualify for the playoffs. Unless you take away the divisions and have two huge conferences, then it's not going to work. And even then 10-6 Cleveland missed out in the AFC last year while 9-7 Washington qualified from the NFC. It's never going to be perfect, and when the schedule comes out the first thing you look for (after the bye week) is when you play those 6 games. For what it's worth, I think the playoff seedings should go by record but the division winners should get in. The Giants should have hosted Tampa Bay last year rather than going to Raymond James, but that's the only change I'd make.
It's never going to be perfect.
And Finally...
Air Reid made yet another comeback for the Eagles, and it looks like it may cost Philadelphia a playoff place. I've given Andy Reid a free pass the last few weeks as it finally seemed like he had learned to respect the importance of the running game, whether it's churning out decent yardage or not. The running game wasn't really going anywhere against the Giants a couple of weeks back, but Reid stuck with it, and was rewarded with a 30 yard Westbrook scamper to give his team a 10-0 lead. However, yet again this season Reid abandoned the run, and thus yet again the offense did absolutely nothing. However Reid's post game presser had me almost more fizzing than the performance. Reid didn't even once talk about the offense, instead coming out with an absolute gem. "The defense started pretty slowly."
Excuse me?! The defense that gave up 10 points on the road started slowly? The defense that is 18th in opposition starting field position yet is 5th in punts per drive and 4th in punts per first down? (Sorry for the geeky stats) The defense that had 4 drives start in their own territory in the 4th quarter and didn't give up a single point? The defense that bailed this team out against Atlanta, San Francisco and Pittsburgh? The defense that only gave up a touchdown because McNabb fumbled and gave Washington the ball in the Eagles redzone? While the offense that called 49 passes and 14 runs, dropped 7 passes, scored 3 points and only put together 2 drives over 20 yards all day is given a free pass? People wonder why Eagles fans have had enough of Reid, but this has been a bad season for the team, who look like they will miss the playoffs for the 3rd time in 4 years.
But on a happier note I wish all Diner readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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