From the Press Box – Week 6

I don’t think I will ever get used to Monday Night Football ending at midnight or thereabouts.

20 years on the West Coast does that.The late night, compounded by covering the Jets-Dolphins game (was that a game?) pushed my Fantasy Triage article back, as well as this column.

Back again though, better late than never and the delay allows me to cover some trades as well.

Oh yes, there were actual trades at the NFL trade deadline and some significant ones as well.

Before we get to that though, let’s start with the most important thing—at least for a group of aging Dolphins.

The Cheese Stands Alone

Other titles could have been ‘And Then There Was One’ or ‘Lions De-Clawed’. I just couldn’t resist the obvious pun.

The Green Bay Packers continue their winning ways although nobody expected a loss against the sad-sack Rams. It would have been a far greater shock had they lost than, say the Lions losing to the 49ers. To be honest, I was surprised but you learn from your mistakes and the two things I learned are:

1) The Lions’ flaws bit their ass earlier than expected (I expected it to be the Packers)

2) The Niners might be better than I thought

Either of those things aside, the Lions lost and that leaves the Packers in sole possession of my hopes for shutting up the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

I don’t particularly dislike the Dolphins (despite my formative years as a Jets fan) and appreciate the achievement. But I can do without ever seeing Mercury Morris or the old folks home popping champagne.

COME ON PACK.

Don Banks has a great article over at SI.com about how the Pack might or might not go undefeated. For my own .02 cents, I can see potential losses at San Diego, Detroit, and the Giants. The Raiders could be tough, but it’s a home game. Ditto Bears part II. And watch out for those Chiefs!

Or not on that last one. I don’t see Green Bay losing at home the rest of the way. They are getting healthier and Rodgers is playing unconscious football. There’s a long way to go, but the Packers are in good form right now.

Hell, they even have a run game. They are in a great position to whip some tail.

SPEAKING of whipping tail…

SCHWARTZ VS HARBAUGH: THE RUMBLE IN MOTOR CITY

Sadly, there was no good rhyme for the bout title (feel free to add yours in the comments).

Did Harbaugh get a little over-exuberant? Sure. Could he tone it down? Absolutely.

Did that wack on the back require Schwartz to act like a fourth grader? Not by a long shot.

Schwartz said he was subjected to an obscenity (which seems to have happened AFTER he bum rushed Harbaugh) and a shove. A) That’s no excuse and B) that was no shove. A harder than needed pat on the back, yes. A shove? Only if you’re a super sensitive wuss.

Maybe Schwartz was feeling a bit sensitive because he was acting like a douche during the game—such as when he decided to mock Harbaugh for a challenge on a play which couldn’t be challenged.

Karma is a bitch.

Both sides acted like children but I haven’t heard half the outrage over Schwartz as I did over Harbaugh which is lame. I call the media out for that one.

A little suggestion for the coaches: remember what Will Smith said in Men in Black.

Don’t start none, won’t be none. If you want to talk crap during a game, don’t be shocked if the opposition then enjoys their victory over you just a little bit more.

Ask Rex Ryan about that one.

Carson Palmer…. Oakland Raider? and Other Nuttiness

It’s about time that Bengals owner Mike Brown woke the hell up and realized that it’s better to get something than nothing. I get it, you don’t want to kowtow to every player who bitches about being on your cheap ass team.

That said, isn’t it better to get more to build with than submarine your own cause to prove a point?

I NEVER understood why Detroit refused to trade Barry Sanders if he was really retiring rather than play there. Of course, the real issue was Wayne Fontes, so firing him would have mattered as much. Barring that though, at least get something for your player.

What good is holding onto one good life jacket if the water is freezing and the sinking boat will suck you under anyway?

Palmer in silver and black is an intriguing play. If he can turn it around and play better than the last few seasons, the Raiders should be pretty happy and at this point have an excellent shot at the playoffs. If he fails….

Well if he fails, the Raiders have pretty much given away half the 2012 Draft. They get some compensatory picks for departed players like Nnamdi Asomugha (hey how’s Philly Nnamdi?) but it won’t match the 1st through 4th rounders they have lost.

The Raiders went all in on this one. They have a tremendous ground game, solid wide receivers and an underrated offensive line. Will Palmer put them over the top?

I have my doubts.

Another interesting move was Ronnie Brown to the Lions. Jahvid Best is once again dealing with concussion issues (or symptoms which is the same thing) and Keiland Williams has been ok. Ronnie Brown was all right last season, splitting carries with Ricky Williams in Miami behind a poor offensive line. If he can stay healthy, he could do well with a much better offense and offensive line.

We may see more of him as I have to guess Detroit starts protecting Best so he’s around for the stretch run. They are now behind the Packers and it’s going to be tough to catch them. Next best thing is a Wild Card birth and Detroit should be able to cruise into that. Having Best healthy will be good. So less carries and maybe more Brown would also be good.

That’s going to do it for tonight – The Hard Count is also pushed back, but should be posted Wednesday night or sometime Thursday. I’ll talk more Palmer and other stuff then as well.