10 THINGS

Ready for this week's list? Here goes...

1. I think Tony Romo made a lot of critics eat humble pie with a nice performance against the Falcons. Even though he had one turnover on a bonehead run an’ dive (slide QB, slide!), he still managed the game well overall and gave his WRs chances to make plays.


2. Despite breaking down in the 2nd half yesterday (they gave up 5 TDs and a FG), I’m still somewhat impressed by the Dolphins. They’re being very competitive with limited resources (who said Ricky Williams’ career was over)?


3. As I said last week, the Redskins are in a bad state. However, I didn’t give enough of the ‘credit’ to Jason Campbell. Watching that game Monday night, he is really no better than an average back-up. He makes really bad decisions out there and is very tentative in the pocket. The Todd Collins watch is on.


4. I think the Bears are wondering if anyone got the license plate of that orange and black striped truck that slammed into them on Sunday:
   Palmer 233 yards, 5 PaTDs
   Benson 189 yards, 1 RuTD
   Ochocinco 118 yards, 2 ReTDs


5. I think it’s a crime that DeSean Jackson gets as little touches as he does in that Eagle offense. That kid is magic.


6. I think I feel very sorry for Steven Jackson...Jackson in STL is like a beauty trapped in the body of a beast.


7. I think these are the ‘Out of the Blue’ players/coaches/teams of the season thus far:
   Miles Austin- Beast of the NFC East.
   Mike Wallace- Is this close to making Santonio Holmes irrelevant.
   Hines Ward- Who knew he still had it in him?
   Sidney Rice- Favre’s new go-to guy.
   Steve Smith- Better this year than his Carolina namesake.
   Rashard Mendenhall- Put the power back in Pittsburgh.
   Matt Schaub- We knew he had it in him...breakout year.
   Joe Flacco- Did you think he was this good though?
   Kyle Orton- The consummate game manager.
   Denver Defense- The engine of this team.
   Cincinnati Bengals- This time around it’s been less flash and more football.
   Josh McDaniels- Young phenom has recharged the Broncos.
   Mike Singletary- Bringing respectability back to the Bay.
   Jared Allen- Was he always this good?
   Gregg Williams- Finally...some defense on Bourbon Street.
   Packers D- Have adapted to the complex 3-4 in record time.


8. I think that unless something changes quickly in TONYNFL, it’s only a three team race to the finish between GooseNick, RobNick, and Johnny’s Groupies.


9. In the D&G, I think Cologne Boy, a.k.a. The Heckler is taking no prisoners this year. And he may just have enough weapons within his RB and WR core to survive his QB issues.


10. Is anyone wondering what has happened to Armando this year? Last place in TONYNFL, second-last in the D&G- this guy used to be the one to beat. Ouch. Word is a quarrel with his buddy Guido has caused him to lose focus...admirable that neither of them has played it out in the media. However, I think that this reporter will get to the bottom of it yet!
    

SUPERFLY!

Ha Ha! I may be aging myself here but back in the day (way back in the day) growing up in the 70's and 80's, my favourite thing to watch on a Saturday was Wrestling. Specifically Mid-Atlantic and WWF Pro-Wrestling. Ahhh...now it's coming back to you. Remember these guys?

• Ricky Steamboat
• BlackJack Mulligan
• Sweet Ebony Diamond/ Rocky Johnson
• Greg Valentine
• Roddy Piper
• Cowboy Bobby Duncum
• Dusty Rhodes
• Harley Race
• Jay Youngblood
• Tommy Rich
• Sgt. Slaughter
• Big John Studd
• Andre the Giant
• Wahoo McDaniel
• Bad Bad Leroy Brown
• Jimmy Valiant/ The Boogie Woogie Man
• Bob Backlund
• Nikolai Koloff
• Hulk Hogan
• And the flamboyant Ric 'Natureboy' Flair

For me Ric Flair was the man ("to be the man, you got to beat the man- wooo!). I loved watching him wrestle. There were his classic battles with Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race, Roddy Piper, and Greg Valentine. But more than that, Ric Flair was the master of the interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-LQH8N6Ug

But there was one guy who you ran to the TV for....the one who you never forgot...whose every match seemed to be a classic...he was fast, strong, cut, and exotic: The one and only Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka. When he came off that top rope, time stood still, eyes widened, teeth clenched, and your hands gripped the couch. He was the man...found some old footage of him on Youtube in the match that made his legacy.

Here is Jimmy Superfly Snuka at his best http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOgHMGRp4dc

Wasn't this the real golden age of pro-wrestling? Before pay-per-view, super steroids, and semi-clad women?

Yeah.

10 Things I THINK I THINK (The D&G Edition)

1. 
   

1. The Tennessee Titans are in dire straits at 0-6. But don’t put it all on Jeff Fisher- his players quit playing half-way through the 2nd quarter. Do you realize that Kerry Collins and Vince Young combined went for 2/14 for -7 yards with 2 interceptions? All day. Somewhere along the way this team lost its heart.


2. I think Tom Brady looked like the Tom Brady of ’07- 380 PaYds with 6 TDs. What kills me is that the defense knows he only throws to Moss and Welker- and they still couldn’t stop them!


3. I think Jim Zorn should be fired (shocker!). Do you realize they’ve gone 2-4 against win less teams this season? Then Mr. Snyder I think you should sell the team and get out of Football. You’re embarrassing a storied franchise.


4. I think I’m scared of the New Orleans Saints. What a horse-whipping they put on the G-Men. WOW. Who's next?


5. I think Matt Schaub is a Fantasy STUD.


6. I think Buffalo saved their season today with a win over the Jets. It should make the return engagement in Toronto that much more interesting (yeah right).


7. I think the following bullets were dodged in the D&G this weekend (thank you for leaving them on the bench):
   Drew Brees- 369 PaYds, 4 TDs
   Ray Rice- 77 RuYds, 2 RuTDs, 117 ReYds
   Matt Schaub- 392 PaYds, 4 TDs
   Marques Colston- 166 ReYds, TD
   Zach Miller- 139 ReYds, TD
   Laurence Maroney- 123 RuYds, TD


8. I think the Falcons are the dark horse of the NFC. Prediction: Matt Ryan throws for 300+ PaYds, and 2 PaTDs against the Cowboys weak pass defense in Week 7. Falcons win by 6.


9. I think that either the Eagles are not as good we think, or the Raiders are not as bad as we think.


10. I think I continue to be impressed by the Broncos. What a game last night. What a win last night.

Make Mine a D&G!

10 Things I Think I Think (Forget Peter King)

1. The Bengals are for real. Although not a huge Fantasy play, Palmer has become a really good game manager. In each of the 5 games thus far, he's led multiple clock-eating drives that have ended in a score. If not for a fluke play against the Broncos, these guys would be 5-0.



2. The Bills are a bad team. They lost to the Browns 3-6. Check the Brown's QB Derek Anderson's stats from yesterday: 2 completions, 23 yards, 1 INT. Are you serious man? Never in my football watching life have I ever seen such ineptitude.



3. Miles Austin is a beast (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTUDvCiIDNk&feature=related)- and Tashard Choice may be the most complete Back on the Cowboys roster.



4. But the Cowboys are a bad team overall. The fact that they needed a 250 yard, 2 TD performance to win in OT (against the winless Chiefs!) should wave great big red flag at you.



5. Brett Favre has skills. If he leads the Vikings to a Superbowl Championship this year, I think we'll need to reopen the 'Best Ever' QB discussions.



6. Speaking of the Best Ever QB. I think Peyton Manning would also like to reopen that discussion (another Superbowl or not).



7. I think the Giants are being very smart with Eli's injury. They know that they go as he goes.



8. I'm not yet convinced that Turner the Burner is back. Circle back to me in 3 games.


9. I continue to be amazed that the Wildcat offense continues to work as well as it does. Nice win by the 'Fins.


10. I think that 2nd TD catch by Braylon Edwards was the best catch of Week 5. Nice throw by Sanchez, but to make that catch under duress, get the feet inbounds, and score a TD? Edwards is doing his best to dispel the 'hands of stone' reputation (and yes I know the refs overruled the call erasing the TD. But this writer thinks that it was indeed a TD). AND I think that TD catch by Miami's Ted Gin Jr. against Revis was a thing of beauty. Much harder for the WR to make that catch then it is for the QB to make that throw folks.

THE PONY EXPRESS

Anyone catch the Cowboys_Broncos game on Sunday? If you didn't you certainly know the outcome, because whether you love or hate the 'Boys, you always know whether they won or lost. Well they lost. This time the horse broke the rider. Thanks to Andrew McKenzie (The Hurricane) for providing this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZMvbrUN8Pc. Yes, Marshall gave Newman a yank which enabled him to break free, but Terrence had a shot at that ball- and no excuse for missing several chances to tackle him. But this latest loss isn't Newman's fault (Newman!- sorry couldn't resist). Neither is it Romo, Jessica, Wade, Garrett, or T.O.'s fault for that matter.

Folks were riffing on the Broncos all week saying they're not really 3-0 because they hadn't beaten a real team yet. On top of that, folks were just waiting for that Denver locker room to explode due to this summer's hi-jinx (Cutler, Marshall). But did you notice how once the season started, you could hear a pin drop in Denver? There was only one focus- Football.

Contrast that with Jerry's World over in Big-D. Football was #4 behind #1- Jerry's World, #2- The departure of T.O., and #3 Who Romo was dating/dumping. Now, one team is 4-0 and the other is 2-2. Draw your own conclusions.

Going into this game true Cowboy fans knew it was a trap game. The Cowboys had the better personnel, and just needed to settle down and they'd win without the pressure of prime-time in a brand new mega=stadium. The Broncos had only beaten Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Oakland. As it turns out the Bengals are competitive; but the other two could be beaten by the last place team in my 2-hand touch league right now (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not by much).

What happened? Nothing. Just character. My good friend, filmmaker and Football connoisseur, Andrew Burrows-Trotman (ABT for short) always said that a team's true character always shines through. That is what defines them and they will win and lose accordingly.

As I've stated before, the Cowboys are talent laden and, on any given Sunday, can beat anybody. We seen them clunk their way through games and yet still give themselves a chance to win in the end. They are this close (putting my thumb and index finger about an inch apart)...but can't seem to close the gap. What is the problem? Characters instead of Character. Big difference.

One of the things that stands out in American Wild West lore is the Pony Express. In the very early 1860's it was a mail service that ran across the middle of the United States (Missouri to California). It relied on mounted riders instead of stagecoaches or trains to cross the country. The result was the ability to cover 3,200 Kms in 10 days. Far faster than anything else at the time. The lesson? Less is more. Focus on your reason for being, and do it well.

Something to think about over in Big D.

I'm out.