Mike

NFL Week 8 Recap

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Falcons/Eagles
Mike: Matt Ryan looked good but the Eagles did a great job keeping him out of the end zone. The key play was the blown call by the ref on the punt where the Falcon never touched the ball. I was more shocked that the Eagles were actually able to score than the blown call in our favor. The blown call showed me something I had never thought about: Saving timeouts in case of a challenge. I didn’t hear anything after the game so I’m not sure if Mike Smith thought about it at all. This is just another example of how the NFL should copy college, the first being OT. A similar review policy would be great in the NFL. Especially with the NFL having more cameras and the funds to have more people looking at the plays in real time.
Ahad: The Eagles got very lucky in this game. Who knows what would have happened if they didn’t get that gift of a “muffed” punt. Coach Smith is partly to blame for not holding onto a timeout, but it never should have gotten that far. Matt Ryan played well at times and was able to handle the blitz effectively. I don’t think the NFL will ever adopt the college replay policy because the league will say that the games would be too long with too many replays.
Matt: I did not get to see this game, but that blown call was just awful. You can probably expect some replay rule changes in the offseason because of that play. Matt Ryan looked like he played well from the highlights I saw, but I am sure he was challenged by the Eagles D.
Evan: Also did not get to see this game. I also have not seen any highlights. I was sick all weekend, so cut me some slack. Here is my analysis – I like that the Eagles won, and what all of you guys said sounds good.

Giants/Steelers
Mike: The Steelers O-line can’t handle defensive fronts like the Giants and Eagles. Somehow they handle everyone else just fine. I’m curious over the next few weeks to see if everyone just ignored the Eagles gameplan and will now copy it or if it’s just the matchup problems those teams pose to the Steelers.
Ahad: The Steelers showed yet again that they have trouble with the blitz. I am not sure why more teams don’t use this strategy. Once Parker comes back, that will alleviate some of the pressure off the O-line. Right now, the team is trying to get by without him. The Giants continue to find ways to win and it is annoying to watch as an Eagles fan.
Matt: Missed this game as well, but it appeared Big Ben was under siege the entire game. Something else that would take the pressure off the Steelers offensive line would be Big Ben getting rid of the ball in a more timely fashion. He often holds onto the ball wayyy too long.
Evan: I did watch this game and was not impressed by either team. The Giants appear to be the most mediocre 1 loss team the NFL has seen in quite some time. A Giants-Titans Super Bowl might be the lowest rated one ever.

Who do you think is the best team in football right now?
Ahad: My vote has to go to the Titans. This team reminds me of the Ravens team that won the Super Bowl. This team relies on its defense and running game. The QB is basically asked to manage the game and not make mistakes and right now Collins is taking care of business. Didn’t everyone call him washed up years ago?
Matt: I think the Giants are the best team right now, as much as it pains me to say it. I like the Titans, too, but if they were to line up on a neutral field against the Giants, the Giants would come out with the win. They both have similar pressure defenses, but I think the Giants have just a little bit more offense.

Buccaneers/Cowboys
Matt: Season saving win right there, at least for now. The defense stepped up in a big way. They needed to because Brad “check down” Johnson certainly wasn’t getting the job done on offense. The Buccaneers are a good defensive team, but Johnson was just pathetic. The team just needs to hold down the fort one more game and then welcome the bye week.
Evan: I predicted this mostly because of the predictable unpredictability of the NFL. The Cowboys are still a good team without Romo, it just took them a week to figure out how to play without him, although there are plenty of teams better than the Bucs that would have taken them down last week.


Last Week’s Picks

Evan Mike Ahad Matt
Falcons @ Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles
Buccaneers @ Cowboys Buccaneers Buccaneers Buccaneers Buccaneers
Bills @ Dolphins Bills Bills Bills Bills
Giants @ Steelers Giants Giants Steelers Steelers
Colts @ Titans Colts Titans Titans Titans
Record (Last Week) 18-17 (2-3) 17-18 (3-2) 18-17 (2-3) 16-19 (2-3)

Scores from Week 8

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