The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

Marvin Lewis’ decision to kick a field goal down 20-7 with 6:47 left last Thursday was beyond perplexing (still down two scores!), compounded by the fact it meant Pittsburgh was no longer covering the 11-point spread. Thankfully, the Steelers drove back down the field and scored a touchdown, righting what looked like a horrible wrong. Words can’t describe how bad coaching is in the NFL…Somehow, that event may not have been as frustrating as watching Willie Parker clearly injure himself on a run, immediately point to the sidelines to come out and watch the next two quarters without a single mention of it from the broadcast team.

Rumors of Steve Slaton being too small to be an every down NFL back appear to be warranted, as he’s clearly wearing down and hitting the proverbial rookie wall. The only thing surprising about Ahman Green’s season-ending injury was that it didn’t occur sooner, but it remains to be seen whether Slaton can take full advantage of the situation…It’s early, but Brady Quinn sure doesn’t look like a franchise quarterback to me. He’s terribly inaccurate, although Braylon Edwards’ continued drops don’t help. Seriously, Edwards has the worst hands in the league…Please, I implore you, do not draft Jamal Lewis next year. I don’t care how late he falls…Sage Rosenfels’ 8.2 YPA mark is elite, but he hasn’t been able to turn that into touchdown production, and there isn’t a more mistake prone QB right now. Up 16-6 with less than 7 minutes left Sunday, Rosenfels simply cannot get picked off in that situation. Inexcusable…Realize that Houston has one of the toughest fantasy playoff schedules against the pass.

Kansas City keeps letting me down ATS, but they sure do play some entertaining games. That defense has a ton of work to do…Welcome back, Trent Edwards. He should continue to put up nice numbers this week against San Francisco…Tyler Thigpen’s turnovers were brutal, but this guy is a fantasy machine. He even adds rushing yards and can easily be relied on as a QB1 during the important Weeks 14-16…One of the weirdest statistical anomalies this year belongs to the Chiefs, who are among the league-leaders with 21 takeaways yet rank last in the NFL with just six sacks. Those two often go hand in hand.

Ronnie Brown owners have to be growing impatient (I know I am), but he should ultimately reward them with upcoming matchups against the Rams, Bills, 49ers and Chiefs…The fact I’m even thinking that Bill Belichick might be more important than Tom Brady speaks volumes. It’s not true, but if I were a franchise, I’d trade an entire draft class for Belichick’s services…Matt Cassel followed up his amazing effort against the Jets with an even better performance last week, becoming the first quarterback to throw for 400 yards in back-to-back games since the immortal Billy Volek did so in 2004. Volek and Drew Bennett will always have a special place in my heart for that magical late season run. Seriously, Cassel is all of a sudden a developing star.

The Jets are legit. They seemed like a fraud early on, with a couple of big blowouts at home against weak competition, but this team has improved each week and is a serious threat in the AFC. However, any MVP talk regarding Brett Favre is laughable, unless people believe his locker room presence is the main reason behind greatly improved offensive and defensive lines…The only way to describe Leon Washington is explosive. Why he doesn’t get 10-15 touches per week is one of life’s greatest mysteries, right on par with Roswell and why “Dancing With The Stars” gets nearly 20 million viewers each week…The Titans loss really wasn’t all that shocking. It was more a matter of when, not if. Still, they’ll regroup and remain one of the better AFC teams.

Is it wrong of me to openly root for the Eagles to struggle? There’s no real reason why, but I just can’t stand that underperforming franchise, highlighted by Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid’s incompetence. Over the last two games, the Eagles have had 31 third down conversion attempts. They called zero run plays! Coincidentally, that’s the same exact percentage I’d put on the chances of McNabb returning in an Eagles’ uniform next year…Forget trying to figure out Baltimore’s backfield, just look elsewhere.

I’m not ready to call Shaun Hill the future at the quarterback position in San Francisco, but he’s clearly a massive upgrade over Alex Smith and J.T. O’Sullivan. He’s going to be a top-10 fantasy QB from here on out…Like Andy Reid, Wade Phillips sure has a knack for challenging plays that take one instant replay to realize the original call was clearly correct…With less pressure now and no longer the favorites, maybe Dallas becomes even more dangerous.

Why does the NFL package not allow local games that are blacked out to be on the “Mix” channel? I live nowhere near Detroit, so I get the red zone channel instead? I digress…How good is Calvin Johnson?…It’s time to re-evaluate this Detroit playing on every Thanksgiving business…Is anyone else already dreading the eventual Tampa Bay playoff loss. Teams like this have no business winning so many games. Ugh.

The Entourage finale was solid, but there’s one major problem (and the elephant in the room) with the premise, Adrian Grenier (and therefore, Vincent Chase) simply can’t act! Just terrible. Nice fella though, as he once sat next to my mom on a flight from NY to SF. He told her he could get her into Hyde, which she’s sure to take advantage of never.

After not receiving a single touch in last week’s fourth quarter (while seen with a trainer stretching his hamstring out) and then mysteriously missing practice late in the week, I was utterly petrified when Adrian Peterson started Sunday’s game on the sidelines. Luckily, it was just a little indiscretion and not an injury, although my blood pressure did rise as a result…Facing such a stout Minnesota front seven, the Jags utilized Maurice Jones-Drew perfectly. Can’t wait to see what he can do with a heavier workload next season.

Matt Forte’s 4.0 YPC leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s got some serious moves in the open field. He still runs a heavy risk of wearing down over the final five weeks, but he’s been one of the biggest steals in fantasy leagues this season…Despite last week’s goose egg, I’d start Greg Olsen with confidence in Week 13…The Rams have been outscored 99-6 in the first half of the last three games, which isn’t very good.

How about Oakland putting up 31 points with JaMarcus Russell attempting a total of 11 passes? Chris Johnson has been a huge upgrade at LCB…After Mike Shanahan called Nnamdi Asomugha the most underrated player in football (and maybe of all-time), apparently it wasn’t just talk – Denver attempted just one pass Asomugha’s way Sunday…It’s true. Jay Cutler gets flustered too easily. He needs to keep his head on straight when things get rough…Darren McFadden is a player. Now, let’s see if he can stay healthy and actually carry a full workload (unlikely until next season). He’s explosive.

DeAngelo Williams has quietly been one of the league’s better running backs this season. He’s really improved…Michael Turner simply doesn’t go down on first contact. His fantasy playoff schedule is rough, but he’s the real deal who can break tackles with the best of them. He’ll enter 2009 as a top-5 fantasy pick…Talking about Michael Vick’s possible return to the NFL during CBS’ pregame show Sunday, Bill Cowher spoke of how imperative it is to get him a dominant running back, since his best days occurred while playing with Jamal Anderson. I have about as poor of a memory as you’ll find, but this seemed absurd. A quick check reveals Anderson and Vick played together a total of two games! Vick attempted six passes during that time.

Brandon Jacobs owes many fantasy players an apology. That shouldn’t happen if listed as “probable”…Still, I expected more from Ahmad Bradshaw. Interesting how the Giants were still able to win easily while on the road against the NFC’s possible No. 2 seed while struggling to run the ball. And also without Plaxico Burress. New York is just that good…Tim Hightower is on pace to finish the season with 465 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Guessing the touches in Seattle’s backfield is as maddening as in Baltimore and just needs to be avoided altogether…At least Mike Holmgren is leaving Jim Mora with such a solid foundation. He’s going to need an extra order of smelling salts…Clinton Portis is one tough dude, but I still don’t see Washington as a playoff caliber team…Did everyone enjoy Shaun Alexander’s tenure as a Redskin as much as I did?

Got to love Tony Dungy’s aggressiveness on fourth downs Sunday, and suddenly, the Colts look likely to finish 12-4…Partly due to a disappointing record, I’m not sure if people realize just how good Philip Rivers has been this season. He’s easily been one of the league’s most valuable players…With so many inept candidates, NFL coaches have become increasingly easy to pick on, but Norv Turner’s decision to call a timeout with 1:35 left right before kicking a field goal might very well have been the single worst of the 2008 season.

Drew Brees put on a clinic Monday night, and that was against a Packers secondary that had been one of the NFL’s best this year. New Orleans would be a fun team in the postseason, but odds are against that happening…Nice to see Greg Jennings targeted frequently again, as he received 15 looks Monday…Again, why were the Saints wasting carries on Deuce McAllister when they had Pierre Thomas all along? Even when Reggie Bush returns, New Orleans would be best served making sure Thomas leads the team in carries each week…If forced to choose, I’d rather Lance Moore than Marques Colston over the rest of the season.