How good are Terrell Suggs and the Ravens; the Rams find a new way to lose; and the Game of the Century
How good are Terrell Suggs and the Ravens; the Rams find a new way to lose; and the Game of the Century, are among the football subjects we discuss this week:
Eli Manning > Tom Brady
OK, so that's not strictly speaking what we learned, but certainly it's not so easy now to scoff at Manning's now infamous claim that he belongs in the same category as the New England quarterback. On Sunday Eli went blow-for-blow with Brady before finally, deep into the fourth quarter, watching the New England quarterback orchestrate what looked like a decisive scoring drive. Only to then come right back and throw the game-winning touchdown pass with seconds remaining. If that story sounds familiar it's because it is exactly what happened the last time these two met, in Super Bowl XLII.
The similarities go further ? from the key reception made by an unheralded player wearing No85 to the role played by a rabid, relentless Giants defense that never allowed Brady to settle. And while these Patriots may not be in the same league as that 2007-08 vintage, some might argue that this was an even more imposing stage. After all, Brady had not lost a regular season home game since 2006.
Does it really mean that Manning is the better quarterback? Clearly not. But certainly the Giants could not have had a much better start to the run of games that will define their season. The next four weeks bring trips to San Francisco and New Orleans, interspersed with home games against Philadelphia and Green Bay. Win all of those, and nobody will be questioning whether anybody on this team is elite. PB
The Ravens might be as good as Terrell Suggs' boasts
Few sportsmen talk smack better than Terrell Suggs. Or at least, few talk smack more than Terrell Suggs. Over the course of the past week he told reporters that he kept Ben Roethlisberger's ass "in a nice little refrigerator ? in my basement", he raved about a game that "gets everybody's piss hot" and he informed the world that he had a brand new "cape of confidence" to wear for the game. Because the one thing he had been short of, to this point, was self-belief.
But if viewers thought he was done there, more was to come once the game was underway. On NBC, viewers saw Suggs introduce himself not from his real-life Alma Mater Arizona State, but instead from the as-yet little-known Ball So Hard University.
Then, in the game itself, he jumped a Ben Roethlisberger screen pass to the flats for a key interception as the Ravens completed their first sweep of the Steelers since 2006.
Afterwards Suggs was far more understated, saying that nobody should be fooled and that the Steelers would get another shot at their AFC North rivals in the play-offs. But as good as Pittsburgh are, they cannot take that for granted. With Cincinnati beating Tennessee on Sunday, the division now boasts three teams with six wins. Wins over division rivals are going to be key, and Baltimore already have two of them. PB
Rams find a new way to lose
It's overtime, your kicker makes an almost perfect punt, dropping the ball on the 1-yard line, and then this happens:
Patrick Peterson's 99 yard overtime punt return touchdown gave the Cardinals a 19-13 victory against the St. Louis Rams. This was only the second punt return TD in NFL history to come in overtime. The other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the San Diego Chargers in 1995. Peterson became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. SB
SuckforLuck: Colts latest
Are the Indianapolis Colts winning the race for Andrew Luck? Or are they in the midst of an existential crisis? Or both? Well, they are officially now the worst team in football after the Dolphins finally won. But they are also in crisis, according to local media.
The Indy Colt blames the management dynasty: "Who's to blame for 0-8 Colts? [General Manager] Chris Polian, for one."
"I've spoken to several former Colts people in recent weeks, and while none of them will go on the record -- many have non-disclosure agreements and fear public comment will hurt their NFL job prospects -- virtually all of them told me Chris Polian has been a toxic force who has brought this franchise to its knees for reasons other than Peyton Manning's injury.
This may be Chris Polian's first full year with complete control over the team's daily operations, but since he started moving up the organizational ladder in the early 2000s for no apparent reason other than being a Polian, he has been instrumental in hastening the exits of scouts and assistant coaches who led the Colts to previous greatness."
Will Manning ever play again? If he does, will it be for the Colts? And will the Colts get their hands on the next QB-on-which-you-can-build-a-dynasty? SB
The days and weeks are getting shorter
As the clocks went back, the weeks got shorter too. This week sees the start of Thursday night football, making the gap between the end of one NFL week and the beginning of the next just three days. This might be good news for the Raiders who visit San Diego on Thursday night. They were Tebowed on Sunday but Carson Palmer has a quick shot at redemption.
The end of week nine, with Monday Night Football, saw the Eagles stumble again. It might have been different if a special teams trick had worked. The Eagles caught the Bears napping on fourth down with a fake punt but punter Chas Henry's throw was woeful.
Earlier this season the Chicago Bears special teams almost caught out the Packers with this rather special special teams play. SB
As well as five things we learned in the NFL this week, how about a college football bonus:
Game of the Century?
They billed it the Game of the Century, but the problem with hype is living up to it. Now the football connoisseur will tell you that Alabama-LSU was a great defensive match-up. The trouble is that such games are less interesting to the wider audience of a network TV Saturday night primetime slot.
Two top-ranked defenses gave two ordinary quarterbacks little breathing room and the Game of the Century ended with college football's top-ranked LSU Tigers defeating the No.2 Alabama Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime.
Some might say the tailgate action was the best part:
Whether it lived up to the hype or not it may not be the Game of the Century for long. There's a good chance that these two will get a National Championship rematch.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in college football, No.3 Oklahoma State were beating Kansas in another low-scoring encounter. Not. That one finished 52-45. SB
Please share your thoughts on these and other NFL talking points below.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/nov/08/terrell-suggs-game-of-the-century
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