NFL Thoughts

Okay, a couple of things first before we get to the obvious one.

1. Congrats to Adrian Peterson for breaking the single-game NFL rushing record, which is now no longer held by a former drug convict. Thank you also, Mr. Peterson, for failing to convince me to draft you on any of my fantasy football teams, because Lord knows I didn't need those 48 points this week (my teams: 0-3, guh.)

2. Bigger congrats to one Antonio Cromartie for breaking the NFL record for the longest play. This is cool for a number of reasons, the biggest of which is that it is a record that can never be broken. You can't return a ball farther than 109 yards. It's physically impossible.

3. We learned that the Niners are really really bad, the Saints might actually be turning it around, and that Marvin Lewis is not going to be employed at the end of the season. We also learned that hell has frozen over, as the Lions are 6-2, the Packers are 7-1, and the Browns - THE CLEVELAND BROWNS - are 5-3.

4. Okay. I'm depressed but not crushed about the Colts 24-20 loss to the Pats. What did we learn?

We learned that our defense is pretty freakin' good, especially considering we were down three linebackers (Morris for the season, Keiaho and Hagler last night) and had at least two DBs dinged up at points during the game. If the offense had been able to make literally two more plays (Reggie's long drop being the big one) that game would have gone our way. The D showed up strong, but just got worn down in the end.

We learned that it is hard to beat a good team when you've got as many personnel gaps as we have. Without
- the aforementioned LBs,
- a key starting interior lineman (injured in preseason),
- our franchise left tackle (retired before the season started),
- franchise WR (possibly suffering a career-damaging chronic pain condition),
- starting left tackle (rookie, injured),
- first round draft pick (starting WR, injured during the game)
we still were up 10 points in the 4th quarter and were two plays (again, Reggie's drop, and obviously, Peyton's fumble) from having a very good shot to win that game. These sound like excuses, I know. But they're not. They're an assessment of the facts. We lost, and we deserved to lose. But these facts tell us something else that we've learned:

We learned that the Pats are good, but they aren't the all-seeing, all knowing, all-masterful Lords of the Freaking Football Universe. I was prepared, if they had come in and stomped us by 21, to concede that title to them. But they looked really bad for a long time, and even when they looked good, they were largely 1.5-dimensional (Randy Moss and half a Wes Welker). They can't run the ball, and they can't stop the run. They may still go undefeated, but it's because they play teams who would struggle to defeat Sweet Valley High's JV team. (Steelers and maybe Ravens aside).

We learned that they are also a dirty football team. This isn't a surprise, of course, but the leg whip on Freeney was just blatant. And dangerous. And clearly intended to injure. And, I assure you, the sort of play that is endorsed by their coach in the "if you can get away with it" frame of mind. Of course, this isn't a surprise. We didn't really learn it, it was just confirmed.

We learned that Randy Moss is tall and that he can run fast. Whatever.

We learned that sometimes games actually can be won and lost in the first quarter. Our first three trips inside the Patriots' 30 resulted in a total of 6 points. When your personnel is depleted, you must score early when you're fresh, or the long grind will get you. It got us.

We learned that - and I must give credit for this point to Jeff and Biggs - we might be better suited to win outdoors in the Foxboro winter muck than the pass-first Pats, which would be a delightful irony.

So that's what we learned. I feel a little better now. Still, losing after being up 10 halfway through the fourth is a bit of a stomach punch, but at least I have a very clear understanding of why it happened that can not be summed up with the word "choke."

We shall persevere. Strength and honor.