Week 11 Preview
By Brett | Permalink |
No Comments | November 17th, 2006 | Trackback
In no particular order, here are a few of the storylines that we’ll be following this weekend:
- Looks like reigning league MVP Shaun Alexander is coming back. We’re going to go on record, and say this: His ridiculous TD totals notwithstanding, Alexander is an above-average but not great running back. He’s never been able to run with authority between the tackles, and he’s benefited tremendously from playing behind a fantastic offensive line and on a team that has had a potent passing game for the last 5 years. Even before he got hurt, he wasn’t running the ball that well this year. It will be interesting to see how well he performs against a bad-but-rapidly-improving San Francisco defense.
- Trent Green is coming back for the Chiefs, which is good news for them. Damon Huard played well while Green was out, and has the team in position to make a playoff run. No question about it, though, this team is better with Green under center. Too bad he’ll be without his top target, Tony Gonzalez. Just been one of those years in KC. We think it’s the Herm Edwards effect. He’s an inspiring leader, whose teams never seem to quite live up to expectations for some reason.
- Houston is suddenly starting to play some defense. A win against Buffalo would put them within 1 game of being .500 — that’s a big step for this franchise.
- Cincinnati vs. New Orleans. Anyone know what the over-under is on this one? We’re taking the over, whatever it is. We’re looking for Reggie Bush to hit paydirt for the second week in a row, making us feel like a complete dumbass for trading him off the fantasy squad. That was for you, Kornheiser.
- Too bad Daunte Culpepper won’t be able to go against his former team. We’re pretty sure the Vikings would have loved to have been on the receiving end of some of his interceptions and fumbles. This is going to be a defensive struggle, and if Miami wins it, they just might be able to salvage their season by making a long-odds playoff run.
- Finally, our take on the Bears game. If we were Eric Mangini (which, thankfully, we’re not), we’d throw the kitchen sink at Rex Grossman. Mangini knows how to use multiple looks, unique blitzes, and disguised coverages to confuse the hell out of a quarterback — just ask Tom Brady. If the Jets do that successfully, they’ll force the Bears into commiting bad turnovers and put themselves in good position to beat a team that they probably shouldn’t.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears need to pound the rock. The Jets have been atrocious defending the run this year, and the Bears desperately need to get their ground game going if they’re going to be able to keep the pressure off Grossman down the stretch. Defensively, they shouldn’t have too much trouble with a Jets offense that has been struggling to move the ball for the last month, particularly in the air. The main thing the Bears need to do on defense is just stay in their gaps and not overpursue. They’ve lacked discipline the last three weeks, which has resulted in big plays. If the Bears can limit the New York’s big play opportunities, they should have no problems keeping the Jets offense under wraps.
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