Week Twelve Observations

1. Kevin Smith is averaging 3.5 yards per carry this season and 3.8 for his career. So why do I feel like he's a good back?

2. A decent chunk of Miles Austin's 7 catch, 145 yard performance against the Raiders came against the legendary Nnamdi Asomugha.

3. Last season Arizona travelled cross-country to Philadelphia Thanksgiving night and got annihalated by a previously struggling Eagles team. Thursday night the Giants suffered the same fate in Denver. New York was completely out of it mentally and physically and didn't seem to realize this game counted in the standings.

4. Seriously what is up with the Giants? Their struggles are inexplicable. Why isn't the defensive line dominating? Why isn't the offensive line dominating? When and why did Brandon Jacobs start wearing a skirt? Watching the game, rooting for the Broncos, I was still disappointed in the Giants.

5. Here's the book on Knowshon Moreno: he's ok at everything. He's not fast. He's not powerful. He has pretty good vision. He has moves. He can catch. He can block. He has no outstanding traits unless you count them all together.

6. Matt Prater's Thanksgiving: 4/4 field goals, 2/2 PATs, 5 touchbacks, one kickoff returned to the 19, one kickoff returned to the 14.

7. Bronco rookie David Bruton is living up to his pre-draft prognostication as a special teams stud.

8. So I'm watching the Thursday night game on NFL Network and see Deion Sanders rocking a terrible salt and pepper goatee unbecoming of the usually stylish man. Then watching the postgame...the goatee is gone! He shaved it some time during the game!

9. I thought Philadelphia's decision to open the game with an onside kick was one of the worst coaching moves of the season. Why give the hapless Washington offense a short field to open the game? The Skins are the type of team that likely won't score twenty points on their own; the Eagles are explosive enough to score twenty in most games; why increase the variance?

10. Is it just me or does Donovan McNabb throw fifty yarders more accurately than twenty yarders?

11. Don't tell me the Eagles aren't going to miss DeSean Jackson. Kid might be the most explosive player in the league.

12. Let's set the record straight on Asante Samuel. He is not a "shutdown" corner. He is a gambling addict who comes up with a lot of picks and gets burned from time to time.

13. Slowly but surely those three pass catchers Washington drafted in the second round of the '08 draft - Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, and Malcolm Kelly - are emerging. I say again they would have been better off drafting offensive linemen, but maybe these guys aren't total busts.

14. Chris Redman isn't much of a dropoff for the Falcons, not with the way Matt Ryan has been playing. The issues with Redman aren't so much throwing the ball as they are things like snapcounts, handoffs, and the other usual problems a new quarterback has with the offense.

15. Redman loves Tony Gonzalez.

16. Alex Smith looks comfortable in the spread, which he ran under Urban Meyer at Utah.

17. Longtime readers of this blog know how I feel about Tim Hightower. I have to give him some props this week though - he plays hard and he knows the system.

18. Beanie Wells has too many weaknesses to warrant playing time ahead of Hightower, though he is obviously the superior runner.

19. Nate Washington hikes his skirt up a little more each week.

20. Drew Brees is a great quarterback of course, but this season it's easy to forget he struggles in inclement weather. I predicted the Saints to do well this season knowing the closest thing to a bad weather game they had this season was @Washington on Sunday. The closest thing they've had previously was @Buffalo in September. The closest thing they've got after this week is @Carolina in week 17. Then it will be Dome games.

21. There should be no question who the best team in the league is after that Monday night performance...but I don't know how the Vikings can be beat. They have no weaknesses. It's interesting - this year there are three elite teams. Last year there were none. Put the 2009 Saints, Vikings, or Colts in 2008 and they should win the Super Bowl without too much trouble. But this season at least one of the three will not make the Super Bowl, and only one can be champion.

Defensive Breakout Player of the Week: Tim Crowder, Tampa Bay
Offensive Breakout Player of the Week: Quinton Ganther, Washington
Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Mike Nolan, Denver
Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Pete Carmichael Jr., New Orleans
Defensive MVP of the Week: Brian Dawkins, Denver
Offensive MVP of the Week: Drew Brees, New Orleans

Power Rankings:

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