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With one pen, any man can rule...

A Word from The Writer:

The Monday Analysis - 29 September 2003

One quarter of the season is over. What does this mean? Not a whole lot to the big picture, but that doesn't take away from the excitement and disappointment. Speaking of a downer, here's a bummer and a half.

Steve-Slapped: Pats take one on the chin from the 'Skins

UGH!

This 20-17 loss to the Steve Spurrier/Daniel Snyder/Washington Redskins is a game New England should have won. Even with four turnovers (three interceptions from our own Golden Boy Thomas Brady, Jr.) this was a winnable game for the P-A-T-S. The Spurriers are not that good, but the Patriots came into FedEx Field and pretty much handed the game over to Washington.

And I don't want to hear the injury excuses. This Patriots team has plenty of depth, and maybe the depth involves a lot of rooks, which means that in years to come, this team will be something spectacular, but for crying out loud is it so bad to win now?

"That was a disappointing game to lose," said head coach Bill Belichick after the game. Well no kidding, coach. You should have seen it from my living room. "We came up short in all three areas."

Yeah, no kidding, including an Adam Vinatieri miss for three points. What was up with that?

Aside from the three picks, Tom Brady looked ok with 25-for-38 for 289 yards and two touchdown passes, one to David Givens, another to Larry Centers. He threw a third to a Redskin defender in the endzone. Ooops.

The Patriots are back home against Remember the Titans next week. Dear God have mercy on our soul

The Monday Analysis POWER Rankings

Come on, complain. You know ya wanna.

1. Minnesota (4-0). Given them credit for starting 4-0, but given them a lot of credit by doing it with the backup QB for one game.

2. Chiefs (4-0). Another very hot team. Who can stop them? Who wants to bet on a Vikes and Chiefs Super Bowl?

3. Carolina (3-0). I love it, I just love it. Carolina will make this list for as long as I can make an argument for it.

4. Indy (4-0). I am telling you, if Peyton and Co. can figure out how to win in the post season, this is one of the most dangerous teams in NFL history.

5. Denver (4-0). My God, someone taught Jake Plummer how to win games in the off season. My God.

6. Seattle (3-0). No escaping this list on the BYE, but with Mike Holmgren coming home to Green Bay next week - ah screw it. Green Bay stinks this year. Seattle doesn't.

7. Washington (3-1). Gods damn me for keeping the Spurriers on this list! But the season is young yet...

8. Tennessee (3-1). Arguably the toughest of the toughest and every time these guys start off slow, the end up finishing tough and hot.

9. Tampa Bay (2-1). Ok, the BYE slipped them down the list, but it was an out of sight, out of mind type of thing. A Monday nighter against Indy will be a make or break game. Probably break.

10. St. Louis (2-2). Told ya, Mike Martz. Keep Marc Bulger in the game and you'll make this list every week.

12. (tie) Miami (2-1). Playing luke warm, which at this point is enough to make the list.

12. (tie) Baltimore (2-2). They are better than this, at least, but they blew it against the Chiefs.

Weekend Break Down

Titans (3-1) 30, STEELERS (2-2) 13 - FINAL: Don't forget the Titans. This is a team full of toughness, led by Steve McNair. Plus, backup linebacker Rocky Boiman counted for a safety over Tommy Maddox and then a 60-yard interception for a touchdown. Remember the Titans.

TEXANS (2-2) 24, Jaguars (0-4) 20 - FINAL: You have to figure that the Texans and David Carr are going to get better with age, and here is the proof. Granted, Jacksonville is in a massive rebuilding stage, and had rookie Byron Leftwich starting in place of the veteran Mark Brunell, but this is a game that they would have lost last year. The tell-tale fact of the game: Time of Possession. Houston had the ball for 35:14 compared to 24:46 to Jax.

VIKINGS (4-0) 35, 49ers (1-3) 7 - FINAL: The Vikings are for real! The Vikes are for real! Yes, even with Duante Culpepper out and Gus Ferrotte filling in, the Vikes just dominated this game, Cripes, just look at the score!

Eagles (1-2) 23, BILLS (2-2) 13 - FINAL: Ick, what happened to the Bills? I mean, this was a trap game. Philly came in here oh and a year, so they were looking for something anywhere they could. And the Bills didn't put up bad numbers (Drew Bledsoe 27-43 for 296 yards 1 TD, Eric Moulds 8 receptions for 114 yards) except on the scoreboard where it counts.

RAMS (2-2) 37, Cardinals (1-3) 13 - FINAL: Emmitt Smith finally scored his first touchdown as a Cardinal. That's how bad Arizona is. And Mike Martz has gotten smarter: he has Marc Bulger starting and look at where they are: winning. Yes, it is against Arizona, but it is also a divisional.

Bengals (1-3) 21, BROWNS (1-3) 14 - FINAL: Battle for O-HI-O, and Cinci picks up their first win for Marvin Lewis. Starting for the Browns was former starter Tim Couch who can't cut a break.

REDSKINS (3-1) 20, Patriots (2-2) 17 - FINAL: This score makes me feel sicker and sicker the more I look at it. I couldn't care how many starters are out for New England, there is plenty of depth on this team. The bright spot of the game: David Givens had a pretty good game (4-57 yards and 1 TD).

Chiefs (4-0) 17, RAVENS (2-2) 10 - FINAL: Are the Chiefs really for real? At a 4-0 start, it may look like that.

RAIDERS (2-2) 34, Chargers (0-4) - FINAL/OT: Are the Chargers really this bad? At a 0-4 start, it may look like that.

Cowboys (2-1) 17, JETS (0-4) 6 - FINAL: Bill Parcells is 2-0 in as many weeks in as many venues (the Meadowlands in New Jersey). He should be as lucky to have this record at any time during the season at Texas Stadium. For the Jets, it's just more leadership under Vinny Testeverde.

PANTHERS (3-0) 23, Falcons (1-3) 3 - FINAL: I love seeing Carolina win like this. It never lasts, but hey, what the hell, ya know? Atlanta, well, they really do miss Mike Vick, yeah?

BRONCOS (4-0) 20, Lions (1-3) 16 - FINAL: Fans all through Arizona are screaming this today: Where has this Jake Plummer been for the past seven seasons?

Colts (4-0) 55, SAINTS (1-3) 21 - FINAL: If Peyton Manning ever figures out how to win in the post season he's going to be dangerous because he's so deadly in the regular season. He had three touchdown passes in the first half alone. Yeah, sure, Nawlins sucks the big one, but you still need to execute the plans and connect with the receivers, two in the first " half were to Marvin "Can't lose with" Harrison. Manning ended up with tying a franchise record of six touchdowns. Wow.

Packers (1-2) at CHICAGO (0-2) Tonight 9 PM ABC

Oddities of Next Week's Match ups

Week 5 is Homecoming Weekend around the league.

Denver (4-0) at Kansas City (4-0), 1 PM. AFC West match up of undefeateds. Game of the Week 1.

Detroit (1-3) at San Francisco (1-3), 4:15 PM. Steve Marucci comes home to Candlestick. With a monkey on his back - Detroit's 18 consecutive game winless record on the road.

Cleveland (1-3) at Pittsburgh (2-2), 8:30 PM. AFC North game.

New Orleans (1-3) at Carolina (3-0), 1 PM. NFC South game.

Seattle (3-0) at Green Bay (1-2), 1 PM. Mike Holmgren comes home to Lambeau. Game of the Week 2.

Indianapolis (4-0) at Tampa Bay (2-1), 9 PM. To Raymond James, the return of Tony Dungy. Game of the Week 3.

Open date: Baltimore, Houston, N.Y. Jets, St. Louis

Top Ten List of the Week.

1. Give it up for the Red Sox making the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

2. Give big props to 29-year old GM Theo Epstein for putting the Sox in post season play in his first season in charge.

3. A huge game for Peyton "I could pass all day long" Manning for throwing six touchdowns against the Saints on Sunday night.

4. Keep the trend rolling: The Colts in a huge win over Nawlins, 55-21. Good God.

5. So, can anyone tell what's wrong with the Bills?

6. Can anyone tell me why the Pats couldn't get it done in Landover, MD (and injuries do not count).

7. Kansas City is a huge surprise to me. I know a few people picked them to go all the way, but I'm still surprised.

8. Of the winless teams, I think the Chargers are the sorriest. Even more than Jacksonville, because Diego began so hot last year. The Jags haven't been hot since 1996.

9. I refuse to jump on any Bill Parcells band wagon this season. I'm staying away.

10. I like the Vikings this season. Lots of great wins, much more satisfying than last season.

ejh

29 September 2003

   

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