San Francisco 49ers: One Win Doesn’t Get Alex Smith Off The Hook

As apart of the San Francisco “faithful”, watching the 49ers win on Sunday makes my day. Even though I may not be the biggest fan of their current quarterback Alex Smith, he did lead the team to victory. And like former 49er corner-back Toi Cook says during the 1994 Super Bowl video, “a W’s a W, in the National Football League.”

However, just because the 49er offense looked solidified against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday doesn’t mean it will perform in the same manner week after week.

Alex Smith still has a lot to prove despite what some people may think. For example, Mark Purdy of the Mercury News glorifies Smith’s play in his latest column.

Purdy starts his article out with the following:

 

“Apologies to Alex Smith. Really. Sincerely.

Last week in Green Bay, the 49ers quarterback was awful in the first half, threw a crucial interception in the second half and raised serious doubts (especially in this column space) about whether he could ever be an effective NFL starting quarterback.

Nevermind.

Sunday afternoon at Candlestick Park, Smith reversed the equation. He reversed it so severely, some of us suffered whiplash. Smith had his best game as an NFL starter in a 20-3 victory over Jacksonville. He had zero interceptions, two touchdown passes and a sweet 96.8 passer rating.”

If I’m reading this correctly, Purdy is changing his mind from doubting Smith ever being an effective NFL starting quarterback to claiming him to already be an effective NFL starter?

After just one game?

Smith did complete 65.8 percent of his passes (27-41) against the Jaguars for 232 yards and two touchdowns without being sacked or throwing a single interception.

But are we supposed to just forget about the quarterback who had thrown just 28 touchdowns against 38 interceptions and fumbled 21 times in 38 career games?

Furhtermore, that zero interception stat for Sunday’s game is quite misleading. Two different drives should have ended in interceptions if it weren’t for the porous Jacksonville secondary forgetting how to catch the football.

Plus there were numerous throws on Sunday that were just a tad-high or too far in front of his receivers.

And on one-play in particular during the first touchdown drive, Smith had Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan both wide open on route to the end-zone and Smith attempted to fit the ball into a triple covered Vernon Davis.

Davis ended up taking a big hit from the Jacksonville safety and wasn’t able to hang onto the ball. But don’t fault the tight-end, he drew three defenders to him allowing his teammates to be wide open.

The ball should have been thrown to one of the two outside targets, not down the middle of the field.

There were two options on that play which were better targets than the 49er tight-end and it’s not surprising why they were so wide open. Jacksonville is ranked 26th in the league defending the pass, allowing an average of 242.9 yards per game.

Therefore, despite not being sacked, barely even touched and attempting 41 passes, Smith threw for just 232 yards—a total that is less than Jaguars have averaged giving up this season.

In the second-half alone Smith was 9-12 passing for just 63 yards. Only five of those nine receptions gained yards. Four of them managed no gain or worse, two passes to Gore went for a loss, one to Crabtree for a loss and one to Delanie Walker for no gain.

Coming out of the locker-room the 49ers should have been able to put this game away. However, they managed just three points in the entire half, and held the ball for just 4:53 in the third quarter compared to 9:59 for Jacksonville.

The Jaguars out-gained the 49ers 183 to 90 in the final 30 minutes, as only a couple of unfortunate David Garrard fumbles and a missed 21-yard field-goal by Josh Scobee kept Jacksonville from getting back in the game.

Jacksonville’s offense was actually moving the ball better the majority of the time. San Francisco’s offense on the other hand stalled on two solid drives settling for field goals, and on five other drives had to punt the ball away. Their 20 points was slightly below their season average.

Take away one of the touchdown drives that should have ended in a interception and the 49ers’ offensive “out-burst” that fans are raving about would have netted them just 13 points.

Many will say I’m simply taking the “glass half empty” approach opposed to the “glass half full” outlook, but going into a divisional game on the road next week, I’m simply holding back my optimism.

Smith had one solid game and looked good with the more spread out offense. But can we bank on this to continue? Playing in Seattle next week he will have to deal with the infamous “12th man,” the nick-name of the incredibly loud Qwest Field.

Later on in the season Smith will have to play away at the Eagles, who own the tenth best pas defense in the league. Can we really take what we saw against Jacksonville and be confident it will continue?

The “faithful” is hopeful that Smith’s impressive play from Sunday will continue but further evidence is needed before one can make a call to whether Smith truly is the quarterback of the future.

As for now, the jury is still out on one Alex Smith.

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Fewell Running Up the Score? Or: Why Schopp and the Bulldog Are Wrong

By now, you’ve watched the game. You’ve read the recaps. You’ve heard the callers on WGR. The Buffalo Bills finally broke free of their fourth quarter doldrums and poured on 24 points in the final frame to beat the Dolphins.

Ryan Fitzpatrick hooked up with Terrell Owens (remember him?) on another long TD pass. You’ve read all of that. You might have also come across one other thing in your postgame media breakdown that isn’t as fun or exciting as those.

Yesterday, during the postgame show on local sports favorite WGR550, hosts Mike Schopp and the Bulldog (sources cannot confirm whether this host is an actual bulldog) discussed the Bills’ last offensive play of the game. Buffalo had 1st-and-goal at the Miami seven yard line, with 1:25 remaining and leading by 10 points.

Fitzpatrick handed off to Fred Jackson and Jackson did the rest. He found the end zone. Seems pretty standard, right? You’re that deep into the opponent’s red zone, it’s late in the game, so you hand the ball off hoping to get Jackson some more yards and the offensive line a chance to hit somebody. Not to mention to run time off the clock.

Apparently, according to the WGR hosts, there is some kind of sportsmanship rule that says that you have to fall on the ball three times in that situation. Never mind that you’re only up by 10 at that point. Never mind that you’re not calling a fade route to Owens or Evans. You can’t even run the ball. You have to kneel on it, or you’re showing poor sportsmanship. You’re running up the score.

Now, I could see their point if, like the Patriots, they were leading 52-0 and dialed up a long throw to a wide receiver. I could even see it if they were leading by 17 points. I could see it if Fitzpatrick had thrown for 300+ yards and Jackson had 100. But they didn’t. They were leading by 10. Running up the score doesn’t even come into play until about three scores.

And that’s not even the main reason why I disagree with their point. Why, then, do I think it was a good idea to run the ball in that situation?

It was the opposite of what Dick Jauron would’ve done.

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Patriots Vs Saints Monday Night Football Picks

This week on Monday Night Football, we will be treated to what could be the game of the season. The mighty New England Patriots will square off with the undefeated New Orleans Saints.

If you aren’t excited for this one, you might want to check your pulse.

The game will feature two of the very best quarterbacks in the league with Drew Brees and Tom Brady. One quarterback came within one pass of breaking Dan Marino’s yardage record last year and the other has multiple Super Bowls under his belt.

As far as Free NFL Picks go, this one should be very entertaining to say the least.

The Patriots come into this game with somewhat of a turbulent season. They are still doing great at 7-3 and they definitely have the capability to beat New Orleans.

However, two weeks ago, they lost to the other undefeated team in Indianapolis and many second-guessed their decision in the final minutes to go for it on fourth down.

The offense has been good overall, but the defense has been a little questionable at times. Belichick obviously didn’t have enough faith in them to put the game in their hands against Peyton Manning, so why would anyone think they could consistently stop the juggernaut that is Drew Brees and the Saints offense?

The Saints have been rolling along and got two good games from one-win teams the last two weeks. Even though they have had a few close games, they always seem to find a way to win.

They have so many weapons to choose from with Brees, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Jeremy Shockey. Besides that, their defense has been one of the best in the league so far this season.

Right now, they really look like the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. This game should really be a classic battle between two great teams.

 

Check out Vernon Croy’s Expert New England Patriots Vs New Orleans Saints Picks for Monday night.

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Diamond in The Rough: Matt Roth Excels Against Bengals

The Browns lost another ugly game against a division foe Sunday. The offense failed to gain 200 total yards, and to add injury to insult, Shaun Rogers is done for the season and Brodney Pool should take time to consider whether he should continue football after his fifth concussion.

The lone bright spot for the Browns was the play of newly acquired Matt Roth. Roth set the edge on rushing plays, totalled seven tackles, sacked Carson Palmer, and played with the discipline and consistency that is lacking across the board on the Browns defense.

Along with Kamerion Wimbley, he should form a solid tandem of outside linebackers for the Browns.

Although the Browns should get credit for making the waiver claim on Roth, he wasn’t a player that went unnoticed by the league.

At least five other teams claimed Roth, but the Browns had waiver priority with the worst record. I guess it’s not always bad to be the worst team.

Roth had a very successful 2008 season with five quarterback sacks and 53 tackles with the Dolphins.  He is experienced in the 3-4 defense, and has the versatility and size at 275 lbs. to switch to a 4-3 defensive end if the Browns change schemes next season.

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What Needs to Change to Make the Raiders Competitive?

Although he has been a significant factor in dooming Oakland to yet another bad season, all of the blame for the Raiders’ 3-8 record cannot be placed at JaMarcus Russell’s door.  It goes deeper than that, and a number of other players have underperformed too.

 

Receivers

Oakland needs receivers who can get open and consistently catch the ball (besides Zach Miller).  Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward Bey have started most of the season, but both often run poor routes, are slow out of their breaks, and worst of all, drop a lot of catchable balls.  Unfortunately, they don’t look much better now than they did at the start of the season.  Their receivers rank dead last in the league for yardage and receptions.  That has to change.

 

Offensive Line

The only genuinely good starters in this group are Robert Gallery and Mario Henderson at left guard and tackle, respectively.  The remainder are average at best.   

Cornell Green was brought in as a stopgap right tackle three years ago, and is still there as a starter. 

Green’s poor pass protection and numerous pre-snap penalties hurt the Raiders regularly.  Against Dallas last week, Anthony Spencer got his first two sacks of the year and added three more quarterback hurries against Green.  That isn’t an accident.  The Raiders need to invest in a solid right tackle if they are going to make this unit a success.

Samson Satele, acquired in the off season from the Dolphins at center has also struggled against more powerful defensive linemen.  His tell tale head bob just before snapping the ball also allows opposing defenses to get the jump on the entire offensive line.  He certainly does not continue the Raider tradition of such players as Jim Otto or Dave Dalby. 

 

Run Defense

The last time the Raiders were in the top 10 in run defense, they made the Super Bowl (they were third that year).  It has been their Achilles’ heel ever since, never ranking better than 22nd.  While the defensive line has improved this year, the linebackers haven’t. 

Kirk Morrison might be the leading tackler on the team, but many of those tackles are well downfield, and the statistic is misleading.  He simply cannot shed blockers or hold the point of attack well enough to play the mike position.  Many of the big runs that plague Oakland come right through him, and he may be better suited to the outside.  The play of the others on the team has been spotty, with Thomas Howard as best of them on the weak side.

 

The Draft

While Al Davis has found some late round gems, none of his recent high first round picks have produced.  The last player that performed as advertised was Nnamdi Asomugha in 2003.   

Robert Gallery might be a good guard, but wasn’t the franchise left tackle the team drafted him to be.  Darren McFadden, JaMarcus Russell, Michael Huff, and Fabian Washington have all disappointed so far.  Prior to Asomugha, the last first round pick to produce well was Charles Woodson.  That was 11 years ago. 

Many might say that the problem is with Al Davis himself.  That theory certainly has some merit, but I don’t believe it.  I do think he needs help with a quality GM though.

The Raiders have talent on their roster, but unless they can fill the gaping holes in it and learn to draft better, their record isn’t going to improve much.

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Cleveland Browns Need To Find a Running Game

All season the Browns fans have been arguing over Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson. That debate has held the team hostage. Eric Mangini did a horrible job of handling it with his indecisiveness one way or the other.

Some fans support Quinn and others still support Anderson. Then there are those who think neither are the answer.

Although I’m a Quinn supporter, I honestly don’t think either one is really that bad. I am not saying either is a future Hall-of-Famer at this point, but I think both can be better under better circumstances.

It hasn’t mattered all year who has played under center. Both guys have been under constant pressure and have had to hurry throws. Both have had receivers drop passes. Of course, both have missed passes themselves.

It doesn’t help to have an offensive coordinator who is in over his head.

Looking at the season for the Browns, there is one thing that seems to have gone overlooked for too long. That is the running game, or should I say lack there of.

So far the Browns have only three rushing touchdowns for the season, and guess who scored them? Anderson scored two and Quinn scored the other. That means that no running back, including Jamal Lewis, has found the endzone yet.

To make matters worse, only twice this season has a runner gone over 100 yards. Jerome Harrison did against the Bengals the first time. Then Lewis did against Buffalo.

For the season, Lewis has 500 yards and Harrison just 257.

The highest average per carry is 3.77 and guess who has that? That is right, Brady Quinn.

This is not to say that the running backs are totally at fault here. They too have faced many of the same problems the quarterbacks have. The big one is defenders in the backfield as they touch the ball. Predictable playcalling combined with poor line play makes it easier for defenses to stuff the running game.

Then you wonder why every quarterback that comes to Cleveland struggles. All year both Quinn and Anderson have been sitting ducks back there because defenses don’t respect the running game.

The reality is that this is the AFC North. This division is won by dominating defense and a solid running game. It gets cold in Pennslyvania and Ohio from November on. That makes it tough to execute a solid passing attack.

The game Sunday against the Bengals was a perfect example of that. Cincinnati has Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. Yet, their passing attack netted eight less yards than Cleveland’s whose total was only 118 yards. The Bengals like the Browns only found the endzone once.

The difference was the running game. Larry Johnson gained 107 yards and Bernard Scott added 87 more. Lewis gained 40 yards and the next leading rusher was Quinn with 10. Adding it all up, the Bengals gained 210 yards on the ground altogehter while the Browns managed just 58. That is a difference 152 yards.

That 152 yards created three field goals meaning nine more points. More importantly that kind of run production keeps the defense on the field for way too long and the offense on the bench. That ultimately makes it difficult for any offense to create any rhythm regardless of the quarterback.

The other day Sam Ingro wrote a great article on how to rebuild the Browns. Ingro mentions that drafting another quarterback would be a mistake. He says finding the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is like finding a needle in a haystack.

With the current state of the Browns they won’t find that needle until they can build some sort of running game. All division rivals have guys the Browns should look at. Willie Parker seems unhappy in Pittsburgh with Rashard Mendehall becoming the main guy. What better way for Parker to get back at the Steelers than by signing with the Browns.

Willis Magahee is in a similar situation in Baltimore being behind Ray Rice. The Browns could even look at Scott in Cincinatti since they have Johnson and Cedric Benson.

Any of those guys could be huge additions to the Browns. The only sad part is that it won’t matter unless they fix the line.

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Ravens-Steelers: Baltimore Outlasts Struggling Steelers 20-17 in Overtime

This was not a game for the faint of heart.  Every single second of this AFC North showdown lived up to the pregame hype.  And if you didn’t have a bottle of Valium in-hand, you probably weren’t even watching the game.

We all know the Ravens (6-5) and Steelers (6-5) hate each other.  It’s a deep-seeded hatred players on both sides take personally. 

Even though the rivalry is 14 years young, it has grown into one of the most sought after matchups in the NFL.  Sunday night’s game certainly didn’t fail to disappoint the most die-hard of fans. 

Baltimore came into the game knowing what was on the line—their entire season.  Their offense, which has had trouble establishing itself at the beginning of games, came out on fire.  The Ravens’ first possession on offense ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Willis McGahee.  The Ravens offense was poised and in-sync for the entire first half of the contest.

This was only the start of one of the more memorable games in recent history.

Due to a concussion Ben Roethlisberger received last week against the Chiefs, Pittsburgh was forced to start third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon. 

Dixon, a second year player out of Oregon, had only attempted one pass in the NFL prior to Sunday night’s game.  However, he was a marquee player at Oregon, and a runner-up for the Heisman trophy in his senior year.  A devastating injury cost him the honor of the Heisman, and hurt his stock in the NFL draft the following year.

Dixon filled in well for the injured Roethlisberger.  He was able to exploit the Ravens’ blitz packages, and kept the vaunted Ravens’ defense on their toes for the majority of the game.

The inexperienced Dixon finished the game with 172 all-purpose yards, and two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). Dixon did throw a costly interception in overtime, which all but ended the Steelers’ hopes of pulling off an upset in front of a sold-out crowd at M&T Bank Stadium.

On the other side of the football, the Ravens had to overcome great adversity towards the end of the game in order to come out on top in this heated matchup.

One of the worst aspects of this game was the quality of the officiating. 

Baltimore was on the receiving end of some highly questionable no-calls that occurred when Joe Flacco tried to locate Derrick Mason and Todd Heap in the end zone.  The no-call on Mason even had Chris Collinsworth pining for a flag to be thrown.

The final blunder by the officiating crew came on the last play in regulation, when Flacco was sacked, resulting in the Ravens’ field goal unit rushing to the line to attempt a game-winning kick.  Luckily, for the sake of the officials, Billy Cundiff’s kick came up a few yards short. 

Instead of spotting the ball where Flacco went down, they gave Baltimore a spot where the ball came out due to a fumble.  The rule simply states that the ball must be spotted where the player originally went down.  The officials seemed to have no clue in this instance.

All of these extra obstacles the Ravens had to overcome during the game didn’t end up playing a major game-changing factor.

Flacco shredded a usually stout Steelers secondary, throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown.  He overcame five sacks, a fumble and was able to make the big plays when he needed to—something that he was having trouble doing during his three game slump.

On 4th-and-5 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens opted to go for the first down inside their own territory with only one time-out left.  Joe “Cool” Flacco remained calm, and found Ray Rice on a short check-down pass. 

Rice made the play of the game, taking the ball down to the Steelers’ 10-yard line.  This short pass ended up resulting in a 44-yard gain, as Rice eluded defenders during the scamper.

This crucial play set up the ensuing field goal by Cundiff, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, Baltimore’s defense rose to the occasion.  They were able to keep the Steelers’ eighth ranked pass offense in check.

Dennis Dixon’s inexperience surfaced in overtime, when Baltimore called a masterful zone blitz to confuse the young quarterback.  The result was an interception by talented young linebacker Paul Kruger, who dropped back into coverage after fooling the offense into thinking he was coming on the blitz.

This set up the game-winning field goal from only 29 yards out.

The excellent winning effort by the Ravens moved them into second place in the tight AFC North, and ensured them a more favorable spot in the AFC wild-card race.

 

And the game ball goes to…

Joe Flacco and company on offense and the entire Ravens’ defense.

It was refreshing to see a more aggressive attack on offense.  Flacco wasn’t limited in this game and did an excellent job of picking apart a good Steelers secondary.

Ray Rice made some game-changing plays, and continues to show why he’s a top-five back in the NFL.  He tore apart a good Steelers run defense all game.

The Ravens’ defense was solid, to say the least.  They held one of the best offenses in the league to total 298 yards.  So the whole defense gets a game ball, too.

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Jim Caldwell-Indianapolis Colts: Time to Give Him His Just Due

So you say you want me to take over a team that was coached by one of the most well-respected coaches to ever stride the sidelines in the NFL?

And you are saying I am going to be without five of my defensive starters from a year ago?

No Bob Sanders.

No Marvin Harrison.

No Anthony Gonzalez.

And to top it all off, let’s throw two rookie wide receivers and cornerbacks in there as well, how’s that?

Sure Mr. Irsay and Mr. Polian, I can do that for you, no problem.

This is what Jim Caldwell has faced so far this season with the Colts.

There is to be a bit of a drop off expected when you replace your head coach in the NFL. You can even argue the fact that if you don’t make the playoffs or come out of training come a little sluggish the fans will understand.

New system, new coach, new almost everything as far as coaching is concerned.

But first year head coach Jim Caldwell has come out of the gates with his Colts so far through week 11, still without a mark in the loss column. Undefeated and already clinched the AFC South title for 2009.

Not bad for a first year coach, wouldn’t you say?

And yes, you can argue he has Peyton Manning as his quarterback and one of the best wide outs in the game in Reggie Wayne, along with one of the best tight ends with Dallas Clark.

The facts still remain that its Jim Caldwell that has this team believing, even before they step foot on the field, they are not going to lose.

It’s not just No. 18 that gets this team going from week to week. It’s the preparation, the practice, and the belief instilled by Jim Caldwell that has the Colts to 11-0 this season.

The Colts this past Sunday polished off yet another divisional opponent after being down 17-7 heading into halftime. But still, the Colts and their fans somehow knew their team would be the one walking off of the field with a victory.

It’s become common place for the Colts to be down late in games and somehow come back to win. Five times in a row as a matter of fact, actually setting a new NFL record for comeback wins in a season.

But can it last?

Will it last?

How has it lasted?

Those answers come from the top and none more than straight from the head coach himself.

As I stated earlier, he has his team believing they will not lose before they step onto the field.

In meetings and practices through the week, Caldwell gets his unbeaten Colts prepared to do battle with the target on their back. Yet they contest, THEY are the hunters not the hunted.

It’s tough to argue with a team that has yet to see their first loss of the year. The team that has already clinched their division crown in week 11 of the season. The team that battled back, for five straight games, after halftime to finish off their opponents.

Many teams have been up on the horseshoes but none to date have been able to close them out.

And it all starts with the head man Jim Caldwell.

Much like his predecessor in Tony Dungy, Caldwell is not much of a vocal coach. Although when he needs to, he will raise his voice in practice to instill what he wants that particular player to do or not do.

But it’s his even keel on the sidelines and, as some players have said, during halftime when he tells them there is still a half of “Colts” football to be played and there are NOT out of it.

They seem to draw from him and continue to grind it out all the way until the last play of the game if need be, to get the victory. And so far this season, it has worked.

With a make shift secondary, starting two rookie corner backs that have faced the likes of Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Andre Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald, the Colts have ground out nothing but 11 wins in a row and 20 straight regular season games to begin the season.

Without the future hall of famer Marvin Harrison for Manning to throw to, the offense has found ways to move the ball with two first-year starters at wide receiver.

Losing their first round draft pick from two years ago in Anthony Gonzalez, to what looks to be for the season.

Down 17, no problem. Down 20, big deal. On the ropes on the road, no issue there.

The Colts keep finding ways to win behind the calm, even-keeled coach that I believe has earned the just due coming to him.

You may argue he has an on-field coach in Peyton Manning but the fact remains this is now Jim Caldwell’s team and not the Tony Dungy team he has just taken over.

He has them believing they WILL win no matter what and who is to argue with a mark of 11-0, unbeaten, and the division champs right now?

 

 

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Chargers Pummel Chiefs: But Did We Learn Anything?

The San Diego Chargers pounded the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 in what was considered a potential trap game after the Chiefs’ upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.  That the Chargers won to maintain a one game edge over a Broncos team that finally halted its losing streak is good.  That the Chargers won convincingly when concerns over “trap” potential and a letdown were prevalent was also good.  With that said, how much does San Diego take away from this game?

They were expected to win. This was a divisional home game against a team looking towards a top five draft pick. They have now defeated the Chiefs by a combined total of 80-21, a potent series blowout. The Chiefs also gave San Diego too many opportunities for the game to be anything but a blowout. Fumbled quasi-throws, bad snaps, fumbles, interceptions; Kansas City did everything in its power to lose this game. 

San Diego had no complaints.

So where does the team stand? Beyond doing what was expected, what did the actual flow of the game tell?

LaDainian Tomlinson proved that he is still a bit of a spark away, with 39 yards on 13 carries, including a goal-line fumble.  He didn’t have to do much, but it was still another day of three yards or less per carry.  He doesn’t need over four a game anymore, but at least three-and-a-half would make me feel more comfortable. 

Mike Tolbert, on the other hand, followed up his massive 8.3 yard per carry garbage spectacular with another solid performance (albeit on only four carries) for 4.8 yards per carry. 

With Darren Sproles proving to be more of a receiver than a dual-purpose threat on offense (in the five games with more than five carries, he has never averaged better than 2.9 yards a carry this year), why not give him the ball a couple of times a game in non-garbage situations, especially short-yardage?  He is a player that can push the chains and fall forward.  The Chargers should give Sproles a few more carries in regular season games and see if the trend continues into non-garbage play.  Worst-case scenario is that it doesn’t, and you revert to the current situation.

We also learned that the vertical passing game is Antonio Gates’ best friend. With Floyd and Jackson running down field, Gates was left with linebackers on him and responded with a monster day (take away the pass interference and it’s eight grabs for over 120 yards and three touchdowns).  Big days from Gates will force a safety to stay closer, opening up Jackson and Floyd on deep routes.  If they stay true to defending the deep ball, Gates can eat teams alive underneath.

Finally, Nate Kaeding’s 55-yard field goal is big.  As a guy with a highly accurate leg that has occasionally missed big kicks, this could be an important confidence boost going into the playoffs.  That ball would have made it from 60.  As good as he is, he still needs to hit one of those big, defining clutch kicks to make a name for himself and finish erasing the thoughts of John Carney

On the defensive side of the football, we have both good and bad.

Fourteen points is not much, but with all of the Chiefs’ miscues, that could have easily been lower. Cassel was a respectable 19-31 for 178 yards, with a touchdown and a pick.  The Chiefs (mostly via Jamaal Charles) added themselves to the ever-growing list of teams that have put over 100 yards on the ground against San Diego.  Any time the opposition’s primary ball carrier averages well over six yards per carry, that is a problem.

Also a bit of a worry was the inability to finish a sack. The team got great penetration and forced bad throws, made Cassel scamper, and even recorded a safety.  But they continually failed to bring him down. San Diego should have seen about three sacks in the box score, but the big quarterback was solid and mobile enough to elude defenders.

The Chargers are a team on a roll, and they should be congratulated on this latest victory.  A few strides were made (watching Tolbert, Kaeding’s big kick) but ultimately I think this was more about Kansas City than San Diego.  Anything but the worst of days would have been a blowout with the number of Chiefs mistakes, and one cannot expect a team like Dallas or Cincinnati to play that poorly.

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Syracuse Basketball Jumps Two Spots In Two Polls

A pair of lopsided victories over Ivy League schools has bumped the Syracuse Orange further up the top 10 in both the AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. 

The media members place Syracuse at No. 8 while the coaches put the Orange at No. 7, both polls were released Monday afternoon.

Colgate is next on the agenda for Jim Boeheim’s bunch.  The Red Raiders are winless in five tries this season and appear to be lambs looking to avoid a slaughter at the Carrier Dome on Monday night. 

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 P.M. on Jim Boeheim Court.  The game is not televised and can only be viewed in the Syracuse area by Verizon FiOS subscribers at ESPN360.com.

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