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).

Now that the weeks are into the double digits, everyone is starting to look at playoff pictures.

Every game I watched this weekend had that familiar graphic of “if the season ended today, who would be in”. And I want to send a message loud and clear to everyone:

PUMP THE BRAKES, CHAMP!

The NFL season is a glorious flower that only blooms for 5 months! We need to savor each and every week that we have it, for it will soon be gone. Listen, I know we need things to discuss, but let’s talk about the games that are currently going on. Let’s not already be looking ahead so far to the divisional round that we miss something awesome happening in weeks 12-17. That’s six weeks of action we still have. We need to cherish it!

Cherish your precious life!

What happened to the AFC North?

All four teams that inhabit the AFC North lost yesterday. Two are understandable (Ravens losing to Indy, Browns losing to anybody) but the other two were major upsets…and both to AFC West opponents. When I saw the final score of the Steelers game I was first shocked, then awed. As a Bengals fan, that was a huge deal. That meant that a win against the lowly Riaders would pretty much secure the division for us. Then we went and lost to the Raiders. Fuck the heck?!

Are the Browns/Lions turning a corner?

Everyone is beaming this morning about the shootout between Cleveland and Detroit yesterday. Both young QBs are being heralded as “breaking out”. I call BS. Of course there were a ton of points scored, both teams are terrible on defense! Do you know what happens when you put one turd next to another? You look at them and go “say, those turds don’t look so bad!”. What? Okay, bad analogy. All I’m saying is that let’s not start jumping up and down over the Browns, or the Lions, or Quinn, or Stafford. If either team had been playing a team with even a semblance of an NFL defense, it just would have been another pair of blowout losses for these sad franchises.

Hey, was that Matt Leinart I just saw?

Yes, as a matter of fact, it was. Matty got to take a break from banging ASU coeds to play the entire second half on Sunday, after Warner took himself out of the game with some head issues. With all the drama surrounding Vince Young last year, we’ve forgotten how mightily Leinart has fallen. Cutler, taken right after Leinart, isn’t necessarily a star, but he is starting and has some very good games (and a very good season last year). And now that Vince Young has gotten his head on straight and is winning football games again, Leinart is the albatross. I remember when he fell to Arizona how great that was. I thought he would shine in their system, and lead them to contention. Well, neither is right. I’m not saying he’s done, as far as his career goes, but for now he’s the bust QB of that first round.

Why are the Saints starting so slow these days?

While New Orleans remains undefeated, they have looked shakey for the past three or four weeks, usually due to slow starts in their games. Why is that? I think it’s because their offensive gameplan is so precise, that they have to see what the opposing defense is doing first before they can implement a game plan. I think Brees and Payton use the first few possessions to gauge how they are being played, and then put one of a handful of gameplans that they have at their disposal to use. And while it’s worked so far, I worry that they are going to not be able to get it started one week, and it will cost them a game. And I worry it will be during the playoffs.

Who is the best first round QB from 2005?

Well, if you look at just one game of them playing head to head, then it’s Aaron Rodgers. BUT, if you look at what they’ve accomplished over their entire careers then…well, it’s still Aaron Rodgers. Ok, fine. Aaron Rodgers is the best QB taken in the first round of the 2005 draft.

Fantasy Question of the Week

Can you trust those injury replacements you grabbed off the waiver wire?

Yes, you should. I do not traditionally thrust backups into my lineups just because the guy ahead of them went down. They are backups for a reason. But if you, like me, followed that line of thinking this weekend, then you left Justin Snelling and his 20+ points sitting on his bench. This is a week after you left Ladell Betts sitting with his 2 TDs. At this point in the fantasy season, unless you’ve already locked up a playoff spot, you need to be playing to win, not just playing to not lose.

Un-Perfect Season Watch ‘09!

Each week we will hilight the lowliest of the NFL landscape. Why? Because it’s fun to laugh and point at other people’s misfortune.

Bottom of the barrel (teams that failed to score an offensive TD in the past week): Ravens, Redskins, Broncos

Race for the #1 pick: If the 2010 draft was held today, here is how the top 10 would be layed out:

1. Rams
2. Bucs
3. Browns
4. Lions
5. Bills
6. Redskins
7. Raiders
8. Titans
9. Seahawks
10.  Chiefs

Monday Night Sneak (Preview) Attack

Ten @ Hou - While Tennessee thinks it is going to run the table and make the playoffs, the Texans actually have a shot in hell of doing so. So this game will mean more to them. Plus, they’re at home, so I’m picking them.

2009 Sneak attack record: 10-1