Ferringo NFL Report: Vick Reaches Elite Status Of Marinovich, Holcomb
By Robert Ferringo of Doc's Sports Picks
Here are my nonsensical ramblings from a very profitable Week 7:
- The favorites have been just 15-11 straight-up and 12-14 against the spread over the past two weeks. Also, home dogs were a phenomenal 5-2 SU and ATS last weekend.
- Do not buy into the Mike-Vick-Can-Pass craze. Yes, he threw four touchdown passes against Pittsburgh. And yes, he answered the bell after calling out his offensive coordinator. However, Todd Marinovich once threw for five touchdown passes in one game and Kelly Holcomb once threw for 400 yards in the playoffs. It can happen to anyone once, but don't think for a second that all of a sudden Vick is an NFL-level passer.
Here is a story I wrote prior to last season that sums up where Vick sits in the grand scheme of NFL quarterbacks: http://www.docsports.com/micheal-vick.html
- The Chiefs would be incredibly stupid to go back to Trent Green. Damon Huard has been outstanding for this team and along with a much-improved defense he's got the Chiefs on the outskirts of Contention. They need to stay with The Huard, re-sign him, and start grooming Green to become the quarterback's coach and eventually an NFL offensive coordinator. They can get two more years out of Huard, allowing them to draft or sign the QB of the future while Huard bridges the gap.
- Endy Chavez's catch in Game 7 of the NCLS was the greatest catch I've ever seen. I'm not saying it was the best ever, I'm saying it's the greatest I've ever seen.
- When Terrell Owens dropped that crucial fourth-and-two pass on Monday night I noticed something: no one on the Dallas sideline started jumping up and down, carrying on, swearing, throwing their arms around in a tantrum and criticizing their teammate because he didn't do his very simple job. But I wonder if he noticed?
- I'm still not backing away from my belief that the Giants are a sloppy team that is more likely to slit their own throats than have someone kill them. However, that's three straight double-digit wins against decent teams and they already have two divisional road wins. They have been one of the most impressive teams over the course of the past month.
- For those of you keeping track at home, the AFC is just 9-15 ATS against the NFC.
- Have you seen Oprah lately? She looks like a gargoyle. Her face is on the cover of at lease six magazines a week and I'm horrified by any one of them.
- Atlanta's kicker-by-committee nearly cost them that game. I don't understand why they had Morton Andersen trying that 52-yard field goal after Koenen had just gone 1-for-2 from an even deeper distance. If Pittsburgh hadn't committed that false start penalty to end regulation or if the Falcons hadn't won the coin toss that decision would've haunted Jim Mora.
- How would you like to be the guy that took the 'under' on the Pittsburgh-Atlanta game? A big reason why there were so many points in that game was that both teams were awful on their kick coverage.
- Joe Gibbs - you're two weeks too late on Jason Campbell. Pull the trigger or limp into the sunset with Mark "Check Down on third-and-10" Brunell.
- Jacksonville's defense looked lost without Marcus Stroud and Mike Peterson. Fortunately for them, Stroud should be back this week.
- Here's the lead in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, which covers the Buffalo Bills: "Ain't life grand in Buffalo? It was another day of rain and wind on the Niagara frontier, and those dark gray clouds and that nip in the air was just enough to remind you that winter is right around the corner. The city and its suburbs remain in major clean-up mode, and some folks are just now getting their power back more than a week after that freak snowstorm sent trees and spirits toppling."
Enough to make you want to hang yourself in the barn, eh?
- I loathe the Bengals. I think they are a chump team that thinks they are much better than they are. They are cocky braggarts, and I think they are fortunate to be 4-2. I've gone against them the last three weeks and am 3-0. Will it continue?
- Carolina's lack of any serviceable linebacking is absolutely killing this team. But that's what they get for letting Will Witherspoon go and trusting Dan "Glass Joe" Morgan. There is just a huge vortex between the defensive line and the secondary. If you watch, the running back is either stopped at the line or he's good for six yards. There's no in between.
- Great call Denny Green. It must have been the offensive coordinator. One week after putting up 23 points against the best defense in the world, the offense managed just nine against the pathetic Raiders.
- I'd been waiting for that Houston performance all year. I don't think that they are a particularly good team, but I know they are better than the dregs of Oakland, Arizona and Miami.
- Actual headline on MSN.com: GOP Opponent Denies Calling Clinton Ugly What is this, politics or third grade?
- Denver's defense is out of control.
- Albert Pujols is a dick.
- DeAngelo Hall got absolutely worked on Sunday.
- One week after New York gouged Atlanta for 260 rushing yards the Steelers managed just 55.
- Carolina's favorite offensive play was to throw it up in the general vicinity of Steve Smith and hope for the best. They stopped running the ball against a weak front seven and that game of heave-and-hope is what led to Jake Delhomme's awful interception.
- Detroit generally plays a one-gap system with its front four. On Sunday, the Lions were a one-gap defense all right - the entire unit was one large, empty, heartless gap as the Jets managed 212 rushing yards.
- Peyton Manning's third quarter: 7-for-8, 138 yards and 3 TDs. How could anyone bet on Washington against Manning when they were dragging Troy Vincent off the street earlier in the week?
- Donovan McNabb's worst throw of the day wasn't either of the Ronde Barber picks - Barber made two nice plays. McNabb's worst throw was right before the half when he went underneath to L.J. Smith inside the 10-yard line with 10 seconds left. Smith couldn't get out of bounds and the Eagles couldn't get another play off. It cost them three points that they clearly could have used.
- Brad Childress looked like an Andy Reid disciple with the way his team looked coming out of a bye.
- Since 2001, Washington is 16-26 straight-up and 15-25-2 ATS in its first seven games. In their final nine games they are 26-19 (58 percent) ATS.
- There are few places as beautiful in this country as Burlington, Vermont in the middle of the fall. Just breathtaking.
Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.
