Writing the Pine

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Anderson’s NFL Week 10 Power 10: controversial 4th down call keeps Power 10 intact

1) New Orleans Saints (9-0) – The Saints have been first on my Power 10 over the course of the past few weeks. However, I was strongly considering bumping them down in favor of the Indianapolis Colts given the way that the Saints have struggled as of late. Ever since the Miami game, the Saints have found themselves trailing in every game. Although they didn’t trail against the St. Louis Rams this weekend, they never built a big lead against the lowly Rams and had a chance of losing the game at the end. Injuries on the defensive side of the ball have been hurting a Saints defense that’s been opportunistic all season. Losing Sedrick Ellis in the middle has significantly hurt their run defense. Meanwhile, Jabrari Greer and Darren Sharper were sidelined this Sunday with injuries as well, though neither are serious. The Saints did, however, lose starting cornerback Tracy Porter, which happens to be a huge loss given how well he’s played all season. It’s time for Malcolm Jenkins to step up and prove why he was drafted 14th overall during this year’s NFL Draft.

2) Indianapolis Colts (9-0) – Whew! The Colts undefeated season is still alive following Sunday Night’s thriller against the New England Patriots. The Colts offense struggled throughout most of the game as they never really looked in sync. Their receivers not named Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark are starting to show their youth with numerous dropped balls. However, thanks to Peyton Manning and a fortuitous 4th down play call (more on that later), the Colts escaped with a one point win. The win seemed to have covered up the weaknesses that the Colts revealed during the game. The rookie corners for the Colts were constantly being exploited. If not for Robert Mathis, no way do the Colts get the stops in the 4th quarter to give Manning a shot to win the game.
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3) Minnesota Vikings (8-1) – Is it just me or have the Vikings been playing alot of lackluster opponents this season? The Vikings really haven’t been challenged by an elite opponent outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game in which they lost. I guess it’s not their fault that they don’t make the schedule. Regardless, Adrian Peterson and the highly touted Viking defense are taking care of business as usual. These blowout games are huge in that the Vikings don’t have to exhaust Brett Favre’s arm.

4) Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) – The Cincinnati Bengals are legit! They seemed to have adopted the traits of their fellow AFC North teams not named the Cleveland Browns and that includes a healthy dose of the running game to complement a really physical defense. Sure, the Bengals have studs on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s the Bengals defense that’s really making a difference. Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph have come into their own and allowed the Bengals to be more aggressive and blitz with more frequency. Their win against the Steelers have pushed them to a 5-0 record in their division and it seems like they are going to run away with the AFC North crown.

5) New England Patriots (6-3) – I understand that they lost and didn’t move down in my Power 10, but the Patriots won about fifty five minutes of their game against the Colts on Sunday. Seemingly, Bill Belichick’s call to go for it on fourth down on his own 28 yard line was the only thing on Sportscenter on Monday, but really it was just ONE game. Had it been any other coach or team, we would not be hearing about the call. I was against the call during the game, but after giving it much thought afterwards, I conceded and agreed with his decision to go for it. I understand that Manning threw two bad interceptions in the 2nd half, but that seemed to be a result of miscommunication with his receivers as opposed to great defensive play. For me, it comes down to this: if you’re Bill Belichick, would you rather let Tom Brady try to win the game for you or try not to lose against Peyton Manning’s 2 minute drill offense? I think I’d let Brady try to win the game for me because in my eyes, a punt would’ve made sense had the Pats run the ball on all 3 downs and killed some clock and let the game be decided on field position and time. Also, keep this in mind, the Colts drove the ball down the field and scored on their previous possession in UNDER 2 minutes without having to burn a timeout or kill the clock by spiking the ball. Had Belichick decided to punt the ball, Manning would’ve had about a minute and 50 seconds and the complement of 2 timeouts and spiked balls to aid him in moving 70 yards down the field. This pushed the argument FOR Belichick in my view.

6) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) – It comes back to the same mantra that I’ve been harping on throughout the entire season. The Steelers just can’t seem to win the close games this season. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the Steelers lose the nailbiters when Troy Polamalu is out of the lineup. His injury has allowed opposing teams to throw the ball with success and march down the field for scores late in the game. Ben Roethlisberger, as many great plays as he makes, looks shaky when he’s holding the ball for too long. The Steelers identity will always stay the same, but they need a lift somewhere. I think special teams is the top candidate for this job. They need to affect field position with better special teams play as they’ve been giving up special teams touchdowns this season.

7) Arizona Cardinals (6-3) – A win has squelched the Anquan Boldin drama for a week. Although the defense was shaky at times on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, they came up with huge plays when they needed to late in the game to seal the victory. Arizona once held the league’s number one rushing defense. However, for whatever reason, they’ve been exploited in the running game these past few weeks. They need to rectify that in order to really be any sort of a threat to the Saints and Vikings for the NFC crown. One big step that they made this weekend was handing the ball off to Beanie Wells and allowing him to be successful and complement their potent passing attack. Beanie had 2 huge rushing touchdowns to lead the Cardinals in their comeback victory.

8 ) San Diego Chargers (6-3) – Remember after their loss to the Denver Broncos a few weeks back on Monday Night, the Chargers were 3 games out of first place? Is anyone surprised that their tied for the division lead in the standings? This seems to be the story of the Chargers EVERY season. They start off slow, but reel off a string of victories later on in the season to capture the division. Philip Rivers has been incredible all season and so has Vincent Jackson, but now they have a healthy LaDainian Tomlinson to make that offense complete. LT started off the season slow with an ankle injury that sidelined him for a few weeks, but he’s finally healthy and Norv Turner is trusting him by handing him the ball off for 20+ carries. Many wrote off LT, but I feel like he’s really playing with a chip on his shoulder this season. And although he’s not the LT of old in terms of speed, his vision and cutting ability does remind me of the LT of old. The Chargers’ first possession coming out of the 2nd half was run heavy and LT was really the thrust in that offense that was capped off with his 20 yard touchdown run. And while no one is picking the Chargers to come out of the AFC, I believe that Tomlinson has the chance to really “resurrect” his career and ultimately, make this season a special one for the Chargers.

9) Dallas Cowboys (6-3) – I am still not sold on the Cowboys and their spot on my Power 10 comes as a default more than anything. The NFC East really has been weak this season and the Cowboys are simply the beneficiary of these turn of events. Even though their offense is racking up alot of yards statistically, I still see major flaws in their unit and scheme. They need to run the ball more with Marion Barber. His physical style is meant to wear defenses down and open up the play action pass for Tony Romo. Yet, because of a lack of a consistent running game, Romo is getting hit and pressured often. They need to take a page out of Sean Payton’s playbook in New Orleans and utilize their 3 running back system more effectively. Also, they need to get Jason Witten running routes downfield. He’s become only a checkdown receiver for Tony Romo and while Romo does need a checkdown receiver, I believe that it’s wasting Witten’s enormous talent. In terms of talent, many consider Jason Witten to be the best tight end in all of football, yet he’s spending time in the flat catching 5 yard dink and dunk passes. What gives, Jason Garrett?

10) Carolina Panthers (4-5) – A surprise introduction to my Power 10. Many might criticize this decision given that there are other teams with better records, but I really feel like the Panthers are coming into their own now and will ultimately, make the playoffs by season’s end. The Panthers have finally recaptured the magic that they experienced last season during these past few weeks. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are carrying the offense once again and they are running alot better than they were earlier this season. The playcalling for Jake Delhomme has been really conservative, but it’s been effective as of late as he’s really limited his turnovers, while giving his receivers a chance to make plays in the open. I look for Steve Smith to really explode as we enter December football. I still consider Smith to be the most talented receiver in the NFC South, edging studs Marques Colston and Roddy White. Losing Thomas Davis on defense was a huge blow, but they’ve picked it up on the defensive end with the signing of Hollis Thomas to stop the run and improved play by their cornerbacks. Julius Peppers has resurrected his season and silenced his critics for now.