Week Four Observations

1. Just as Detroit’s offense was starting to emerge, injuries to their Big Three could derail the Plan. Detroit’s defense is still atrocious.

2. ***Softball analogy of the week***
One of our best outfielders, Napoleon, is moving to Vietnam. Napoleon has the speed to cheat up and take away a lot of the lighter hits to left field. With him out of the lineup, we have to use slower, less-experienced outfielders. These players have to position themselves further back. Even if they catch all the balls hit at them, the defense has softened.

The insertions of Derek Anderson, Jerome Harrison, and Mohamed Massaquoi into Cleveland’s lineup make the Browns a completely different team. Defenses can’t cheat up like they could on the armless Quinn and the speedless Lewis. Anderson and Harrison can burn them. With Braylon Edwards working vertically and Massaquoi exploring the secondary’s underbelly, the Browns were starting to look like a reasonable offense. But the Edwards trade leaves them without any speed at wide receiver. Once again, teams will not have to respect their vertical game.

3. It is hard to imagine anyone other than Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, or Philip Rivers winning MVP this season.

4. Kansas City averaged 2.8 yards per pass vs. the Giants.

5. The Giants keep suffering injuries, and they just keep steamrolling. The Giants must have the best personnel men in the business - they are shrugging off these injuries like they're nothing. There might be only one irreplaceable player on the team.

6. Before you get too excited about the Jaguars, realize David Garrard’s 323 passing yards came without CBs Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, and Vincent Fuller in Tennessee’s lineup.

7. Houston’s offense is starting to resemble last season’s prolific attack, with Matt Schaub getting time to connect with wide open receivers and Steve Slaton darting through holes.

8. Tom Brady played his best game of the season Sunday vs the Ravens. The Pats could still wind up being the best team in the league.

9. The Patriots have yet to play a team that wasn't undefeated entering the game.

10. Other than one bomb to Santana Moss, Washington's offense was reduced to Chris Cooley and desperation scrambles by Jason Campbell. And this was against Tampa Bay.

11. I was surprised to learn Darren Sharper leads all active players in interceptions and pick-sixes.

12. Buffalo’s offense is kind of like Washington’s – I can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with it. Blocking and coaching are suspect.

13. I wouldn’t be shocked if Ronnie Brown finished the season as the #1 or #2 fantasy running back.

14. Steven Jackson takes the handoff, runs straight into a brick wall, then either
a) fights like a fish with a hook in its gills for a couple seconds and winds up gang-tackled by five guys after a two-yard gain, or
b) bounces it outside, outruns two guys, then gets heaved out of bounds by three others after a 1-8 yard gain.

15. Goat of the week: Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

16. For his career, Kyle Orton has thrown 25 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the red zone.

17. I hear talk about how the Chargers sometimes don’t show up for games, how they seem to take games off, how they seem to turn it on and off. People think their problems are related to effort or focus or coaching. The truth of the matter is they have no strength in the trenches. Their defensive line could be the worst in football. Their front seven cannot tackle. Their offensive line could not run-block if their lives depended on it. They are really lacking in size and strength. They do not have a running back. These are not problems that are going to magically be solved overnight, or even this season. This team has Philip Rivers, they have great athletes at the skill positions, they have great special teams, and nothing else. They could be the best flag football team in the league but that is not the game the Chargers are paid to play.

18. The dirty little secret of the Pittsburgh Steelers is game management. I first started noticing these issues last season – spiking the ball when they don’t need to, calling timeouts at the wrong times, play-calls that don’t make sense given the context of the game. The wins are masking some major game management mistakes.

19. If Minnesota has the best defensive line in football, the best running back, and now a vintage Brett Favre, how come they haven’t blown anyone out? Something doesn’t quite add up and his name is BRAD CHILDRESS. Childress tried to keep the Packers in the game by calling a ridiculous pass play on third and ten very late when running the ball would have crippled Green Bay’s chances.

20. When your quarterback is sacked eight times in a game, you clearly have protection issues. But several of the sacks would have been avoided by QBs more intent on self-preservation than Aaron Rodgers. Other than holding onto the ball a little too long, Rodgers is playing phenomenally right now – much better than he did last season.

Defensive MVP of the Week: Patrick Willis, San Francisco
Offensive MVP of the Week: Brett Favre, Minnesota
Defensive Breakout Player of the Week: Brandon Meriweather, New England
Offensive Breakout Player of the Week: Mohamed Massaquoi, Cleveland
Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Gregg Williams, New Orleans
Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Dan Henning, Miami

Power Rankings:

1. New York Giants (1)
2. Indianapolis (2)
3. New Orleans (3)
4. Baltimore (2)
5. Pittsburgh (5)
6. Minnesota (6)
7. New England (10)
8. Philadelphia (7)
9. New York Jets (8)
10. Atlanta (11)
11. Dallas (9)
12. San Francisco (14)
13. Denver (15)
14. Chicago (18)
15. Green Bay (17)
16. San Diego (12)
17. Cincinnati (16)
18. Arizona (20)
19. Jacksonville (23)
20. Carolina (19)
21. Houston (24)
22. Tennessee (13)
23. Washington (21)
24. Miami (26)
25. Seattle (25)
26. Detroit (26)
27. Buffalo (22)
28. Cleveland (32)
29. Tampa Bay (28)
30. Kansas City (30)
31. Oakland (31)
32. St. Louis (29)