Eagles Week 7 Recap: I Cut Kenny

From my fantasy team.

It's late, during FNIA when I normally write these recaps, I was writing about baseball instead, so sorry for the shortness of this recap. Onto the bullets.

• Last week I praised Kevin Kolb's development, this week, we were reminded why Kevin Kolb should be getting playing time.  Today's game was probably the worst start of his career.  If you don't want to see the Eagles do well next season, you will want to see Andy Reid give Kevin Kolb more starts this season.
• Andy Reid has already named Michael Vick the starter for 2 weeks from now.  I guess he is going on a "win now" merit based system.  Bleh.
• I can't sit here and tell you that in the playing time, Kevin Kolb has drastically out-performed Vick, he has not, but you want a guy who you are planning on playing QB next season to be getting some regular season reps this season.  Of course, for all I know, the Eagles Front Office are targeting Vick as that man.
• I want to go to the brothel with Riley Cooper.
• David Akers redeemed himself rather nicely.  He was 4/4 on FGs.
• The Eagles secondary was absolutely, positively, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, completely and utterly horrendous.  The only one whose game was worth a damn in that secondary was Quintin Mikell.  Everyone else, including my beloved Nate Allen, was past useless and into the category of harmful.  How on earth is Kenny Britt so open so many times?  It was ridiculous the pitch and catch that Kerry Collins was able to play with him.  I could have been QB and Britt would have ended the game with the exact same numbers.
• The shame of the secondary's letdown, the Eagles' front 7 had a good game.  Chris Johnson was held to 66 yards.  I will take that any day of the week.
• The Tennessee Titans might not be the team everyone talks about, but this is going to be a team  that will be in the playoff race at the end of the season.  Consider them the Jags of a few years ago, when the Jags were good and underrated.
• Can I confess that I have replayed Chooch's 8th inning line drive double play in my mind over and over and over again today?  Luck is a bitch, I tell you.
• I am glad I can look back at the 2008 World Series to hold me and keep me comfy.
• Hockey season has just slapped me right across the face.
• Eagles-Titans win probability chart. (advancednflstats.com)

2010 NFL Season Week 7 Live Blog

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NFL Week 7 Schedule

The Eagles will be spend Week 7 traveling down to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans and will be followed by Kenny, Moose, and Goose, who worked the Eagles game last week. CBS has the doubleheader, so without further ado, here is your NFL Week 7 schedule! (all times ET; games I get are in bold

Map of who gets what Fox game

Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Bears 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton, Charles Davis, and Jim Mora, Jr.)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:05 (Fox - Chris Myers and Brian Billick)

Map of who gets what CBS early game

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Cleveland Browns vs. New Orleans Saints 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)
Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)

Map of who gets what CBS late game

New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)

Sunday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Monday Night Football

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)

USC Lets In The Trojan Horse

It takes a lot to really surprise me in sports these days. Well, who saw this coming. With Pete Carroll coming back to the NFL, USC need someone to take the downfall of the pending NCAA investigations and sanctions, er, a new head coach. And it looks like they found one in none other than that idiot Lane Kiffin. From ESPN.com

Tennessee's Lane Kiffin has agreed in principle to become the next head coach at Southern California, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Chris Low on Tuesday.

Kiffin would replace Pete Carroll, who jumped to the NFL as coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Kiffin, the former Oakland Raiders coach, led the Volunteers for only one season.

Sources told ESPN Kiffin will bring his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron to Southern Cal with him, and wide receivers coach Kippy Brown will be named interim head coach at Tennessee.

Well USC is going no place but down and with Lane Kiffin at the helm, they are going to get there a whole heck of a lot faster.

It is certainly safe to say that the dynasty that Pete Carroll built is over and that the Trojans will be trapped in a Horse for a good period of time. Lane Kiffin was nothing but a bumbling idiot in Tennessee constantly stepping on toes and crossing SEC and NCAA boundaries and now he has left there to go to the PAC 10 and USC.

Trojan fans want to know how to get their program back moving in the right direction? You can start by firing the idiot you just hired.

2009 NFL Preview: Tennessee Titans

By 49er16:

Whoa! The Tennessee Titans had themselves quite a year. The Titans started last season with Vince Young at quarterback, then Young went MIA, leading the way for Kerry Collins to resurrect his career.

Collins lead the team to a 13-3 record and the number one seed in the playoffs. But once again the Titans were "one and done" as they lost a home playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens. This year the Titans head into the season looking to go deeper in the playoffs with Collins leading the way. It will depend though on how good Collins will be a quarterback. He's never had back-to-back great seasons.

Kerry Collins: Collins has his best chance at putting together solid back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. Tennessee returns the dynamic running duo of LenDale White and Chris Johnson. Also Collins will finally have some depth at receiver. The Titans drafted Kenny Britt and signed Nate Washington to go along with Justin Gage and tight end Alge Crumpler. The offensive line should also be solid enough to give Collins enough time to make throws. This could be Collins best season yet.

The Defense: Even though the Titans lost defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to the Lions, they should have no problem replacing him with Chuck Cecil. Cecil has been with the organization since 2001, so the transition should be smooth. The Titans defense should be loaded this year even with the loss of Albert Haynesworth. The defense also returns their secondary from last year that saw three players selected to the Pro Bowl.

Depth: There is one thing that Tennessee does have a lot of, depth. Even if Collins gets hurt or plays poorly, they can replace him with Vince Young who has lead the Titans to the playoffs before. The Titans are also deep at running back, offensive line, and tight end. Their only concerns for depth is in the secondary. So injury replacements shouldn't be a big concern in Nashville this season.

The Draft: Tennessee used the draft the way teams should use the draft. Tennessee drafted for need and picked up players that can add more depth to their team. The Titans needed a receiver and drafted a receiver in Kenny Britt. The Titans needed defensive line help and drafted Sen'Derrick Marks. The Titans also added depth where they needed the most in the secondary. The Titans drafted two conerbacks and one safety in the draft. While the Titans draft wasn't spectacular, they addressed their needs.

Schedule: Tennessee has one of the toughest schedules in the league. In the Titans first six games, they face three playoff teams. In those six games they have to travel to Pittsburgh and New England. After their bye week though, Tennessee has one of the easiest schedules with their only tough road game Indianapolis.

Video: White and Johnson tribute



Prediction, 13-3, 1st AFC South: There is just too much for Tennessee to not win this division. The Titans have an easy end of the season schedule which will help them overcome any early season injuries. There is the loaded defense. There is the spectacular running attack of White and Johnson. And there is an improved receiving corps. Barring an epic collapse from Collins or injuries to the secondary, Tennessee should make the playoffs.

Uniforms: Oh yeah, the Titans will honor their past by wearing old Houston Oilers uniforms this season.

Breaking Down The Music City Miracle

It's somewhat late at night and I'm bored, so I figured why not prove the point that I made in my GMIS post below this. Even if it means reviving a 8.5 year old controversy. Like I in the below post, that is unequivically, without a doubt a lateral. And by the end of this post, you will feel the exact same way, regardless of your view beforehand. The position of the players creates an illusion of a forward pass but if you focus on the ball and/or Frank Wycheck's arm (screenshots of both later) you will see why I am so certain about this. First off, though, in case you did not see the video below or you just want to see it again without scrolling down, here is the original broadcast of that play and the subsequent official review with Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire on the call.



Now let's start breaking it down.

From the most straightaway, clear cut angle there is, here is Frank Wycheck at the time of the pass with the ball circled only to make it stand out clearer with the somewhat blurry image.

Okay. Now know I say focus on the ball, but that's when watching it live. Now let's look at Wycheck. His right foot i along the side closest to his own endzone and it is literally all but touching that line. His right arm is partly stretched out. Wycheck is 6'3" tall so he is an above average guy. And while his arm is not fully stretched out, there can be little doubt that that ball is more than a foot across that 25-yard line. But you are just being judgmental, there, though, JFein, you can't say that for sure. Yes, yes, I know. I'm just trying to provide narration for the images which will soon speak for themselves. Now let's take a look at Dyson when he catches the ball.

Also realize that this is before Dyson catches the ball so it still has a bit of movement to do. But look at where the ball is. It is almost right along the 25 yard line or not quite. But if you look at it, compare the distance that that ball is now to Wycheck. Is it humanly possible for Wycheck to have that ball outstretched only by what has to be 1 feet? Compare the images again. I'm not saying it was a lateral by much, but it definitley was a lateral and you can damn sure say that it was not a forward pass. A lateral does not have to be backwards necessarily. If the ball travels in an absolute straight line from Point A to Point B, that is a lateral, and in turn, a legal play in the NFL. So the question is not necessarily did the ball travel backwards, but did the ball travel forwards? And I think you can say by looking at those images alone that that ball did not go forward. Joe Theismann said it best, it's where the ball is to where the ball goes that determines whether or not it's a forward pass or a lateral. That's the key rule. How on earth can anyone say by looking at those images that that ball moved forward (forward being on the left hand side). It just is not there.

And as if that was not enough, I'll give this whole argument one more dagger: Frank Wycheck's right arm. You have where it started above, but look at where it ends up.

His right arm is across his body! How can that be if he threw that ball forwards?? It is a physical impossibility! The only explanation to how the arm he threw that pass with, his right arm, ends up across his body in that quick a time from when he let go of the ball to that picture, is if it was already going in that direction. And how would it already be going in that direction? That could only be if he threw the ball in a straight line or backwards! There is no other explanation needed. Look at the video again and look at Wycheck's arm. His arm is moving across his body the whole time!!!! And the direction of across his body is in the direction of a lateral!!! To those still not convinced that it was a lateral, answer this question in the comments section: How can Wycheck throw the ball one way if his arm is moving in the complete opposite direction??? Because by suggesting that it is a forward pass, that is exactly what you are suggesting. Looking at Dyson will only throw you off. It's the ball's trajectory and a close look at Wycheck's arm that gives you the answer of what really happened. And the answer is without a shadow of a doubt a legal play.

Divisional Round Preview Baltimore @ Tennessee

What: An Epic Defensive Struggle
Who: The Baltimore Ravens and the Tennessee Titans
Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
When: Saturday at 4:30 PM EST
What Channel: CBS
Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Announcers' Talking Point of the Game: Wait a minute, the Tennessee Titans were the last undefeated team in the NFL? We completely forgot about that. Oh, but aside from that, these two defenses are just so good we won't be surprised if it goes to Triple overtime with the score tied at 0.
Weather Forecast: Cloudy, 45 degrees
Regular Season Meeting: Titans 13, Ravens 10

For the second time in three years, it looks like Greg and Dan will get a very low scoring game in the playoffs involving the Baltimore Ravens (See Colts-Ravens a couple of years ago). This one, however, should be quite an entertaining game, especially seeing as there are obvious parallels with the two teams.

For starters, both teams improved upon their record from last year (the Ravens more so than the Titans, however both did improve). But just look at these teams, I honestly don't know where to start. Both teams have defenses that can be absolutely dominating. The Titans defense suffered from injuries toward the end of the year, however it does look like Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth will be back in the line up this Saturday at LP Field. The Ravens' defense was lights out against the Dolphins last Sunday and what can I say about Ed Reed. The man is just a beast. Superman (and Tim Tebow) wear Ed Reed underwear.

Another similarity can be drawn by looking at both offenses. The biggest threat that the Ravens boast is their 3-headed monster rushing attack consisting of Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain, and Ray Rice, all of whom have rushed for over 500 yards this season. The Tennessee Titans also have a powerful rushing offense consisting of Chris Johnson, the rookie out of East Carolina who rushed for over 1,000 yards this year. And just as an aside on Johnson, I had not even heard of the man until I saw last year's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl pitting East Carolina against Boise State. And just by watching that game, I could tell that he was going to be something special in the NFL. And it looks like that (for once) I was right. Anyway, back to the match-up, Johnson has not had to do things on his own, as Lendale White, the back-up to Reggie Bush at USC averages 3.9 yards per carry himself and has proven to be a very valuable weapon in short-yardage situations.

And in yet, another similarity, both are led by a quarterback who have done just enough to get their team to where they are. Both Joe Flacco of the Ravens and Kerry Collins of the Titans have done just enough to manage the game, and rarely, if at all, have been the reason for the team's defeat in the games that they lost. But at the same token, neither has necessarily wowed anyone with their numbers and thus, even if there are quite a few injuries at QB for the AFC, it is unlikely that any of these two will be in the Pro Bowl. Where they differ is in experience. Kerry Collins started the year as a back-up to Superman himself, Vince Young (he has the Ed Reed undies as well), but due to the injury to VY week 1, Collins was forced to step in and the Titans have never looked back. The Ravens, desperate for someone other than Kyle Boller and unwilling to rely on little Troy Smith, drafted Joe Flacco out of Delaware, and he is just the man they needed. He stepped in as the starter in the beginning of the year, and he has not looked back either.

Prediction: While I am generally a bigger fan of offensive games as opposed to defensive games, this sure-to-be defensive game is going to be a dandy to say the least. I can appreciate a good defensive struggle when I see it and damn it to hell that I probably won't be able to catch it as I will most likely be spending the afternoon moving back to college for the upcoming semester. Oh well, I'll catch up on the good stuff by reading S2N's live blog at AA (assuming he's doing it) and then watching NFL Replay on the NFL-N if the game is even half as good as I think this one will be. Give me the Ravens avenging their Week 5 loss and upsetting the top-seeded Titans by a score of 16-13.