Pyle of List

Every Monday, our very own DLamp will be taking a look at what just happened the day before in the NFL, and looking ahead to the Monday night game(s).

Well, we did it. We survived the NFL season long enough to start looking ahead to the playoffs. Congratulations! Why all the fanfare for a seemingly no-brainer accomplishment? Well, if you’re anything like me your Sundays are spent sitting on a couch drinking lots of alcohol and fried foods. And in these harsh economic times, anyone’s ticker can “lose their job” at any moment. So here’s to another year of cheating death!

But as the playoff picture starts to come into focus a little bit more for some teams (Giants, Titans, Cardinals) it only gets fuzzier for others. All of a sudden, each game matters just a little bit more as it could be the tie-breaker that gets one club to the post season over another. NFL excitement: the only thing you can count on more than me making a Brady Quinn gay joke!

What the hell happened at the end of the that SD/Indy game?

I have no idea. I’m not talking about Pey-Pey and the Colts driving down into field goal range in the final minutes, everyone knew that was going to happen. I’m talking about San Diego calling a time out right before kicking the game-tying field goal. WFT, mate? They had the unit on the field ready to go when Norm called the TO and saved a lot of time for the Colts to make an effort for the win, which they did. It was mind boggling to me that this slipped my the SNF announce crew as a completely idiotic move. If someone remembers the game differently (remember my above statement about consuming lots of alcohol during games) please feel free to explain it to me.

Is all the ‘Jets in the Super Bowl’ talk be warranted? 

Simply put: no. I know they have looked good the past few weeks, and that defense might be more legit than I’ve given them credit for, but I just don’t buy it. Their current five game win streak consists of two real victories (New England and Tennessee) and some easy fodder (Kansas City, Buffalo, and St. Louis). Couple that with they are riding a dangerous roller coaster with ‘ol stubble face under center, and I just don’t like them to be able to beat three good teams in a row in the playoffs to make it to the big dance.

What exactly happened to Cleveland this year?

I don’t think anything really happened this year. I think this is right where they should have been. I think the outstanding year last year was a bit of a fluke, with some guys (Edwards, Anderson, Lewis) playing out of their minds. People saw them contending for a wild card spot and figured they would be right back there this season, but that is clearly not the case. Anderson got a nice big deal after one his one good year and everyone thought he was the next Drew Brees. But guess what: he’s still the guy that didn’t have the skills to supplant Charlie Batch before the start of last season. Lewis is still old, Winslow is still fragile (and a soldier!), and Edwards’ hands appear to be broken. Cleveland went from a chic playoff pick to complete disarray.

Why are people sleeping on the Ravens?

Because of the running game. Baltimore used to be a great defense with a power running game in Jamaal Lewis. Then Lewis got old and left, and they brought in Willis McGahee and people talked about how they couldn’t throw the ball. Now, even with a rookie QB, they are able to keep defenses honest, but they don’t have a consistent running game. McGahee can’t seem to stay healthy, and rookie Ray Rice shows flashes of ability, but then will disappear for games. The defense is still scary, but this team just can’t seem to get all three facets of the game working at the same time, and that’s why people don’t take them seriously.

Should Detroit be guaranteed a Thanksgiving Day game?

Of course they shouldn’t! Detroit is probably the worst franchise in the league, no one should be forced to watch them, especially while sitting on the couch with family trying to fight off a turkey coma. But as long as the Ford family pumps so much money into the networks and advertisers, then it’s just going to be a reality. Just make sure you start all your fantasy players playing against them and enjoy watching your points pile up.

Fantasy Question of the Week

What will the top 10 of a draft look like next year?

A friend and I started debating this last night when the announcers noted how LT has dropped off this year. It started with ‘who will be the #1 pick next year?’ and we just expanded it to the first 10. Here’s a basic outline of what we came up with:

Peterson will be first. He’s been a beast for two seasons now and will only get better behind that great line. After that, it’s going to be up in the air but the next nine should consist of: Barber, Michael Turner, LT, Addai, Westbrook, Jacobs, Gore, and Matt Forte. Of those guys, only half (AP, LT, Addai, Westbrook, and Gore) were consensus first round picks this year. Looks like we’ll a little bit of a changing of the guard on our hands next season.

Un-Perfect Season Watch ‘08!

Still un-un-beaten: Detroit

Monday Night Sneak (Preview) Attack

GB @ NO - While GB still has a fighting chance of winning their divisioin, NO is all about getting Brees in the record book at this point. I don’t care if it’s their first time on their home field in a while, without Bush they don’t stand a chance. Or better yet, with that defense, they don’t stand a chance. Green Bay all the way!

2008 Sneak Attack record: 8-4