Well, what a harsh day to be sitting there wearing a green and gold jersey. Favre is both a heart stopper, and at times a heart breaker.

But, I must say, I'm really happy for the Browns. Beating the Super Bowl champs and your hated progenitor all in one swoop. Go Cleveland.

Someone tell Rod Serling to extinguish that cigarette... the Bears and Steelers lead their respective divisions.

Oh, and screw you Rams fans.

-Andrew

Go Pats. We might suck, but we OWNZ da Colts!

Just be happy that you aren't a Saints fan. I'm wondering if that team will even make the playoffs this year. It's enough to make me swear off football.

Favre is both a heart stopper, and at times a heart breaker.

Yeah, but he's still better than that icon of inconsistency, Dave Krieg. Was a funky day for him, but don't worry about it. Everybody has off days.

But, I must say, I'm really happy for the Browns. Beating the Super Bowl champs and your hated progenitor all in one swoop. Go Cleveland.

Oh yeah, that was good. Great job Browns.

Oh, and screw you Rams fans.

Put that one in there for Mark and me, did ya :) It isn't all fun and games...they still have to play the Saints and the Panthers twice, who beat them three times last year. I'm sure the Bucs will play them tough too. 49ers are looking better now too.

Looking ahead, tonight's game should be a good one.

Tonight's game has had its outcome decided if you go by last year's results. The Giants had the Eagles number three times last year. I really don't think the Eagles have a chance and I live a couple hours from Philly.

--Dave

"But, I must say, I'm really happy for the Browns. Beating the Super Bowl champs and your hated progenitor all in one swoop. Go Cleveland.

As of yesterday, this is officially a successful season in Cleveland. Everything else will be icing on the cake.

Someone tell Rod Serling to extinguish that cigarette... the Bears and Steelers lead their respective divisions."

11/04/01 -- 12:00 p.m. CST -- Soldier Field. Bears - Browns Super Bowl preview. ;)

"Put that one in there for Mark and me, did ya :)"

Yes. I put it in myself as well. I grew up in LA you see. But I'm not really fond of teams that are that explosive. Show me a team like the Rams, with so many weapons, and I want to put them in a field of mud or snow and pit the 70's Steel Curtain on them. See how many Rams walk away then!

"It isn't all fun and games...they still have to play the Saints and the Panthers twice, who beat them three times last year."

Well, actually that's almost a cakewalk schedule Bernie. Are they playing the Redskins and Cowboys too? I mean, have you SEEN the Panthers this year? Though I still think the Saints can play, we'll see. The greatest threat to the Rams this year is something the Packers have to worry less about. Injuries.

Meanwhile the Pack have to have the Bears twice (which was a comforting thought until recently), then the Bucs, Lions (Turkey Day!), Falcons, Browns (!), Titans, Vikings, then Giants. (Then the Rams and then the Steelers in the Superbowl...)

Levine, can you get tickets to that game on the 4th? I'll jet down from Milwaukee for that!

-Andrew

Bub, don't forget the easy teams they already played, like the Giants, Dolphins, Eagles, and a resurgent 49er team :)

"Are they playing the Redskins and Cowboys too? I mean, have you SEEN the Panthers this year? "

They lost to the Redskins last year...no Cowboys on this year's schedule. As for the Panthers, all I'm saying is you can't be so sure they're going to lose...they really blew the Rams up last year. Football is so damn nutty...anything can happen.

I could easily say there were some easy teams on the Pack's schedule, but you never know - you mention the Bears as one unexpected threat, and the Browns too, where last year some would have put both those teams below the Titans and Vikings. Wacky league, it is! But I think the Pack can play well against those teams.

"Levine, can you get tickets to that game on the 4th? I'll jet down from Milwaukee for that!"

Er, I'm in a somewhat difficult situation there, Bub, as that weekend my wife and I are supposed to be going away for our anniversary. Cancelling that may have consequences too dire to mention. ;)

Levine, she can come along if she wants.
;)

Bernie, on paper the Rams had it tougher than those teams are playing now, the fickle parity system has gone in their favor I think. But, barring injuries (especially to the somewhat fragile Warner), I'd peg the Rams to go all the way, maybe even go undefeated this year. They certainly have the tools to do that now. And nobody is playing near as well. The Packers, well, last week made 'em look really good. Favre was amazing. But the Browns made fools of the Ravens D this week, and as Bradshaw said, that sort of makes the Packer's achievement look a little paler.

Now, I'm not counting out the Pack at all. They're still 4-2, behind the Bears by virtue that they've played 1 more game than the Bears. The Pack *always* has trouble in Minnesota, you've got artificial turf and you've got considerable noise, and then you've got the anger/hate/intensity of a longstanding NFC central rivalry to deal with.

As for the rest of their divisional season... they can beat the Lions at home this year (or they better, I'm having a Thanksgiving party), the Vikings and Bucs won't fare so well at Lambeau and, no matter how sucky the Bears get (and they aren't sucky this year) that rivalry goes back to the 20's... the Pack usually loses one of the two contests. The interesting game will be the postponed Giants game, which plays in early January now. It'll be outdoor with two cold weather teams.

-Andrew

You know what is scary as a Redskin fan. The Redskins beat the Rams, Giants, and Ravens last year yet this year they blow goats. It is frightening how a team can fall apart that quickly. I never really bought into the Super Bowl hype around the Redskins last year but I figured they were a playoff team. This year I expected maybe 9-7 or so and a wildcard playoff birth. How things can change.

Oh and I like the Rams especially in Madden 2002. It is almost unfair to play them. :)

"I really don't think the Eagles have a chance and I live a couple hours from Philly. "

Well, we now know it didn't quite turn out that way...but unfortunately due to a minor emergency I didn't get to see the game. I heard it was quite the hard hitting affair.

The story about how the Redskins fell apart this year is a long one Xaroc. They've got millions of dollars wrapped up in players who've been fired or retired (Deion Sanders, for example). They've got an extremely unhappy coach (again, last year's was fired). They're burning through mediocre QBs. And, just last week, Dan Snyder (the idiot owner) actually went on a scouting trip to look at promising young quarterbacks.

He did this WITHOUT TELLING HIS HEAD COACH!

Snyder is a fool, with lots of money, and Redskin fans (of which I am actually) are being screwed hard.

The Eagles defense deserves the credit last night. Those Redzone stops were crucial. They're also lucky Collins seems to be unable to heat up.

-Andrew

Watching Eagles/Giants is wierd for me. On the one hand, I've been an on and off Eagles fan for years. Harold Carmichael, Jaws, Montgomery...those were good years. Buddy Ryan was a treat too. I like McNabb, but he's got growing to do. He really reminds me of a young Cunningham but he's somewhat smarter. The Eagles need a running game though. Duce ain't no starting halfback.

On the other hand, Kerry Collins went to high school at Wilson and was in my wife's class. He was a drunk back then too. Supposedly he's over that, but his other problem she claims he'll never get over. He's dumber than a bag of hammers. Still, he's born in Lebanon, PA, right up the road from where I grew up and is well known in the area. A good friend of mine separated Kerry's shoulder with a hard tackle during Kerry's Junior year. Knocked him out of a number of games. So with all the local ties, it's hard not to root for the guy.

Collins is a lot like another local product, Donyell Marshall, graduate of Reading High. Another guy with a super low IQ and a lot of talent. His mom bought fenced video tapes from the store I used to manage. That about says it all...

--Dave

Uh...Wilson is here in Reading, PA. Shoulda noted that... :)

--Dave

Bub, I am well aware of the issue regarding the salary cap that the Redskins have. Still on paper they have some talent. A couple of really good tackles (Samuels and Janssen), a great running back (Davis), a great tight end(Alexander), a couple of middling wide outs(Gardner and Westbrook), and of course a mediocre quarterback(Banks). The defense has three great corners(Baily, Smoot, Green), a great young linebacker(Arrington), and a couple of good defensive linemen (Smith, Wilkinson).

All I know is they have the talent to be an 8-8 team. I don't think the coach/gm knows wtf he is doing though. Even if they hand the ball to Davis 30 times a game they should be able to win 5 or 6 and not get their asses handed to them every week. Of course injuries have hit a number of the players and the team is not deep but I still see enough talent for a decent coach to work with to get some wins and be fairly competative even when they lose.

While Dick Vermiel resurrected himself in St. Louis, I think Schottenheimer should have stayed on TV. He was never really able to make the Chiefs a contender in KC while Vermiel had at least gone to a Super Bowl with the Eagles before he led St. Louis there.

It may not matter who the coach is in Washington though. The owner is a fruitcake of the first degree.

--Dave

Another interesting (telling) Redskins stat is that they had a high ranked defense last year under Ray Rhodes. When Norv got canned he left for Denver. Now Denver has the high ranked D and the Redskins defense is among the worst in the league.

Snyder is much more at fault than Shottenheimer. What head coach can work with players who are encouraged to bitch to the owner, over the coach's head. Chain of command is very important to football, as are coaches.

Now, on to the Cowboys... why'd they hire Ryan Leaf as a backup QB?

-Andrew

Bub, Marty had control over letting Rhodes go so I put the blame on his head for that stupid move. Synder really has not gotten in the way much this year at all and he is under the spotlight here as football reigns supreme. The Wizards with the MJ return are drawing some attention and the Capitals (the only significant threat to do anything in this town) are still largely ignored but are on ESPN/ESPN2 10 times this year up from like 2 or 3.

-- Xaroc

Funk,
According to TMQ at Slate (or according to his readers), Rhodes quit of his own volition.

http://slate.msn.com/tagteam/entries/01-10-23_117767.asp

"Several readers protested that Owner/Putz Dan Snyder of the Persons (Redskins) did not fire defensive coach Ray Rhodes after Rhodes led his charges to a finish of fourth overall. Rather, when Snyder fired Rhodes' boss, Norv Turner, Rhodes decided to leave, too, sensing the approaching disaster that has since occurred. Rhodes is happily in Denver, with two time zones between him and the owner/putz."

Like you, I'm very interested to hear how the Wizards do now. MJ on a bad team? What power hath one amazing man?
-Andrew

Bub, I figure they might go .500 and make the playoffs if they are lucky. I am not a big hoops fan but I will be keeping at least some sort of tab on them this year.

Hockey, now that is where my true devotion lies. The Caps have a legitimate shot at representing the Eastern Conference. They are out of the gate slow (4-4-1) but have had to go on the road for most of their early games. Last year they were aweful early and came back strong. I figure if they can just get through this early stretch around .500 they will have plenty of home games, where they are averaging 5 goals a game, to put together a nice record.

-- Xaroc

'Now, on to the Cowboys... why'd they hire Ryan Leaf as a backup QB?'

Jones doesn't have a good coach to save him from his self-aggrandizing asshole self anymore. The 90s Cowboys were all Johnson (Herschel Walker trade, consistently good drafts). Switzer managed to keep everything together for a few years, but the talent's all gone now. A good coach can get a half-decent team into the playoffs, but when you're dealing with Leaf-caliber players it doesn't matter who the hell is on the sidelines.

Dallas is screwed for the indefinite future. I'm rather ambivalent about this, originally being from Texas, as football people in Texas are amazingly annoying.

Bleagh:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/profiles/stats/primary/4255.html

Dallas' problem lies in the fact that Jones continues to believe he is a good General Manager. While he has been a great owner, his ego has taken over and is running rampant. Dave Campo is a good coach, he's been with the team since 1989 when the new regime took over. He's actually brought some new authority to the position but he's still hamstrung by Jerry's actions. It's a damn shame but what can you do?

As for Leaf? It's for the same reason Tampa Bay signed him this year: he has a million dollar arm and you hope you can work around his 10-cent head. I wish they wouldn't have signed him but it's not like they have anything better right now.

Chris