Musings from the weekend

Each week after the football weekend, I will throw together my thoughts into a random collection. Enjoy, and look for this week's podcast coming soon!

Scattershooting while wondering what ever happened to Elvis Grbac: (answer at the end of the article)

1. For those of you who missed the Notre Dame/Michigan game this weekend, wait for it to be replayed as an instant classic, TiVO the whole thing, then skip to the fourth quarter. What an incredible finish to a game that was painful for the first 3 quarters.

2. For as much as I believe the Rams are the best team in the terrible NFC West, I looked at those first 8 games (Phil, @NYG, Balt, Wash, bye, @GB, @Dal,NO) as a Bataan Death March that couldn't be overcome, both emotionally and physically. I was proven right a lot quicker than I thought, with the Rams top WR, RB, and QB all going down in week 1.

3. The other biggest injury of the weekend might be safety Eric Berry of the KC Chiefs. A player that is arguably the best player from the 2010 draft, a rookie Pro Bowler, and instantly the leader of that defense is gone for the season. Not sure KC can recover from that, as evidenced by giving up 41 to the freakin Bills!

4. I really enjoy Chad Pennington as a color analyst. Of course it's a total Jets homer thing, but I enjoyed his breakdowns and letting the game come to him. Well done, Chad!

5. I feel Tony Romo is rapidly headed down the same path as Donovan McNabb, incredible in the regular season, but when it gets to nut-cutting time, always comes up short. Sad, because I really like him and want him to succeed. But the pain and anguish guys like Manning and Brady show when things go bad is not the same as Romo's or McNabb's goofy grin in the face of adversity. Healthier for him as a human psychologically, but not what it takes to win.

6. Speaking of that, I loved the comments of Cam Newton after his record-setting performance against the Cards. He sounded humble and honestly hurt that his team lost. You might have to endure quite a bit more of that, Cam, but eventually it will get better with you at the helm. Facing the defending champs this week will be a real dose of reality, but if he just keeps learning, he will more than live up to that #1 pick status.

7. Here's why the NFL is the #1 sport now: after hearing several players were ready to eschew the uniform rules and wear Reebok provided Stars and Stripes gloves and shoes, the league contacted Reebok, got as many for the players as they wanted, and allowed it. Meanwhile, the NY Mets petitioned MLB to wear NYPD and FDNY hats for their home game on 9/11, which was promptly denied. Just another area where MLB doesn't get it!

8. I already growing weary of ESPN shoving this new "quarterback rating" system down our throat. Good job, you hired some nerdy math guys! It's very easy to get caught up in numbers and stats, but they should be used to validate what you see ACTUALLY WATCHING THE GAME, not be the story. Thanks!

9. Let me be a total schill for RedZone channel! 7 straight hours of every game without commercial interuption. If we can do this in America, shouldn't we be able to fix the economy.

10. Very happy with the NFL's treatment of 9/11. Subtle, yet respectful. The way things should be. Though the fact that I saw Bush 4 times as much as Obama seems a little off.

11. Every year, teams that are supposed to be good aren't, and some teams come out of no where. Pittsburgh and Atlanta may be the former, and Detroit and Dallas may be the latter.

12. It appears as though the BIG 12 is done, with OU and OK St ready to bolt for the west coast, and the Aggies already printing SEC gear. My fervent hope is that all the little teams (Texas tech, Baylor, KU, KSU, Mizzou, and ISU) quickly find homes and leave Texas out in the cold, forced to shuffle off to the ACC or in to independence. That would be justice, but justice is not what college football is all about.

13. I'm thinking the Colts and gonna try to pull the football version of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had a pretty good, but not great, team for several years, but got decimated by injuries all at once. Instead of trying to patch the holes and stumble on, they just tanked it, played kids, and fell into the #1 pick, which turned out to be Tim Duncan. They went on to win several Championships, bridging the gap between generations. If the Colts just let their young guys learn and stink, get the #1 pick in Andrew Luck, then let him learn at the feet of Peyton for a few years, the Colts could be back on top soon and often.

14. As is usual, I went about .500 (or less) on my picks versus the spread. Which is why I still a day job and don't live in Vegas. HA!

Answer: Elvis Grbac is currently teaching QB camps in his home state of Ohio. It appears as though the shadow of Vinny Testeverde that he could never shake is finally falling off of Joe Flacco. He still gets rattled by pressure, but it looks like he is finally trusting his talent. Baltimore might well be playing in Indy come February.

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