Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking

Well, it's been happier in the Mark/Kristina house since both the Cowboys and the Irish started winning. For what it's worth, the Irish are now bowl-eligible (whether or not a team with 6 wins should be eligible for a bowl is a topic for another day), and they seem to have found a winning quarterback with Tommy Rees.

Let's discuss the NFC East a little. Surprisingly, the Giants are the LEAST entertaining team in that division this year. They win, they lose, whatever. But the other three . . . wow. The Cowboys have turned around from being absolutely abysmal under Wade Phillips, to winning convincingly and impressively, under Jason Garrett, in the last two weeks. Now here's what I don't understand. Jason Garrett was the offensive coordinator prior to becoming the interim head-coach. So he was calling the offensive plays when the Cowboys were sucking (and make no mistake about it: the offensive coaching DID suck for their first eight games). And Garrett is still play-calling, but now they're winning. Does anyone else find that suspicious? I hate to accuse the guy of shenanigans, but is it possible he was purposefully (or even sub-consciously) sabotaging the Cowboys' offense in order to get rid of Wade? I don't know, but it seems a bit hinky to me.

Thankfully, the Redskins are doing their best to make everyone look good. I'm truly surprised Shanahan had a job after being trounced, embarrassed and murdalized by the Eagles two weeks ago. One would think, after a 59-28 loss to a division rival AT HOME, the Redskins would come out against against the Titans in a RAGE, raring to go, and furious to recover their good (?) name. Instead, they trickled to a sparse 19-16 win in overtime against a team without an actual quarterback. And they looked as lame and lackluster as they had against the Eagles. Knowing Dan Snyder as I do (we're like THIS), I don't think Mike Shanahan can count on much of a future with the Redskins.

So, how about them Eagles, eh? I'm not an Eagles fan by any stretch of the imagination, but even I have to admit, they are absolutely AMAZING to watch these days. The defense is solid, as usual, but the offense is absolutely explosive. And it's pretty much all due to the reinvention of Michael Vick as an elite quarterback. And I have to say, I couldn't be happier. I'm going to wax a bit rhapsodic, because I really feel like it's deserved here. Look, I have two dogs, that I love like my children. I hate what Vick did, and I thought he absolutely deserved to go to prison for it. But I also believe in second chances. When Vick came out of prison, and started working with the ASPCA, and making amends for what he'd done, I wanted him to succeed, because I want to believe that people can learn from their mistakes, and grow from them. And then he became the starting quarterback this year (mostly through default and injury), and I haven't stopped being impressed with the person Vick seems to have become. He seems humbled, and truly willing to work to become a better person. It's not just that his interviews, either. Vick is a completely different quarterback. The Vick who started in Atlanta had poor mechanics, was undisciplined, inaccurate, and too quick to run. The Vick starting in Philadelphia thinks the plays through, checks down to all his receivers, and tries to make the play on with his arm (11 passing TDs in seven games), rather than his feet. Not that there's anything wrong with his feet (five rushing TDs is nothing to sniff at).

The lesson to be learned here, is, change does not come overnight, and neither does redemption (take note, Ben Roethslisberger). Vick lost everything: his job, his money, his friends and his freedom, and he deserved every bit of it. But rather than come out of prison and go right back to being proud, surrounding himself with the same bad influences, and making the same bad choices, he's decided to be contrite and humble, and change his life. I really hope it's true, and permanent. I love a second chance made good.

Well. That was a lot of love. Now for some snark:
Sure, Richard Seymour should not have slapped Ben Roethlisberger. But as someone who's often wanted to slap Big Ben, I was not-so-secretly pleased.
Will Miami ever find a quarterback? Will he be as fragile as a glass menagerie? Will his name also be Chad? Stay tuned for the exciting answers to these questions (yeah, probably not . . . I don't really care about the 'Fins).
I love the Cowboys, but the Lions were, again, killed by a bad ruling. Note to the refs: tackling by hair-pull is legal. Check your books.
Why won't someone just humor me, and beat the Jets? They're really not that good, people. Get on it!
The annual Pats/Colts showdown was every bit as good as billed. Too bad Peyton felt the need to channel Favre and throw a pick at the end.
Mark has Phillip Rivers on his fantasy team, and needed 70 points from him to win. Rivers only got 4 touchdowns and 233 yards passing (25 points). It's like he wasn't even trying!

And that was week 11. See you after week 12. Enjoy the glut of turkey and mashed potatoes!