I'm posting this later than usual because I've come down with some kind of flu - no doubt the result of overdoing it on New Year's and not realizing it was cold outside. I'm hoping it's the swine flu actually, so in case it mutates into something really bad later in the year I'd be immune to it. Either way, it's unpleasant.
This was one of the worst Week 17's in recent memory with most of the games that mattered for seeding/playoff qualification being unwatchable blowouts. (NYJ-CIN, GB-AZ, PHI-DAL and MIN-NYG). And I'm pretty sure the Raiders would have knocked off the Ravens had JaMarcus Russell not been forced into the game. Russell predictably threw a pick and then lost a fumble on a play where he had days to throw but didn't get rid of the ball. I'll never understand why teams like the Cardinals didn't go all out to move up from the No. 4 seed to No. 3. So what if you show the other team some of your game plan? It's not like they don't have film on you from the rest of the year. But the No. 3 seed matters a lot - if the Cardinals make it to the NFC title game (and surely they intend to), then all that has to happen is for Dallas to win at home against the Eagles and then beat the Vikings on the road. Neither prospect is very farfetched. As it stands, an AZ-DAL matchup would be in Dallas. I suppose that's better than traveling to Philly or Green Bay, but home/road matters - it moves the line six points. About as much as losing your starting quarterback. The Pats seemed like they were trying to win in Houston, though Brady came out of the game a couple times - possibly due to injuries. It was moot as they got the No. 3 seed anyway when Cincinnati lost. Wes Welker's injury could be cited as reason not to play your starters in Week 17, but it happened at the very beginning of the game. Even Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne played a couple series, and this after giving away a perfect season to protect their health. Who needs Brandon Marshall when you have Jabar Gaffney? At least when you play the Chiefs. Incidentally, it turned out Marshall's benching came after a request by the team's veterans (Kyle Orton. Champ Bailey. Brian Dawkins. D.J. Williams, Daniel Graham) for accountability. Not only did Chris Johnson set the yards-from-scrimmage record yesterday, but he had two more touchdowns bringing his season total to 16. Whatever we thought his ceiling was before the season, this is considerably higher. And he was a first-round pick. It's not often a player has his 100th percentile season. This is two years in a row that the top fantasy player (DeAngelo Williams) put up numbers that would be laughable as preseason projections. Only Ricky Williams' numbers would have been more so. The Giants fired defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan Monday after another embarrassing showing. The team's offense wasn't much better in Week 17, but it was the strength of the team for most of the year with Eli Manning, Ahmad Bradshaw and a good nucleus of young receivers set to return. Brandon Jacobs could be done. On defense, free agent signees Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard were busts, but the bigger issue was the decline in Osi Umenyiora's play (one year removed from a knee injury) and Justin Tuck's constant injuries. If those two come back strong, and safety Kenny Phillips recovers from microfracture knee surgery, the overhaul will be easier as team has two good young corners in Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas. Besides Leon Washington going down, and Darren Sproles not being used that much, 2009 has to be considered the Year of the Small Back. Jamaal Charles (the league's No. 2 back over the last six weeks behind Johnson) was in sniffing distance of the all-time single-game record, just a couple weeks after Jerome Harrison nearly got there as well. I talked about Johnson above, but what about Ray Rice who had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, or Ahmad Bradshaw on two broken feet outplaying Brandon Jacobs. Maurice Jones-Drew held up fine on 312 carries, and Pierre Thomas and Justin Forsett averaged 5.4 yards per carry. It's nice to have a bruiser like Michael Turner, Jonathan Stewart or Adrian Peterson, but if I'm a GM, I'd value quickness and receiving ability over size and power. It's says something that the Chargers won even with their backups. Maybe it's about how terrible the Redskins are, but San Diego, coached by Norv Turner shockingly, seems to be the most focused team in the tournament right now. I believe a team like the Jets - dominant defense, top-notch running game - can win in today's NFL, but at some point Mark Sanchez will have to play great - the way Eli Manning did in the Giants' 2007 run. It's not going to be enough for him not to lose the game against San Diego or Indy.
