Week 8 — Mon, 29 Oct 2007

From: Jeff
To: mnf@doobie.com
Subject: It's Monday...

...and there are still two unbeaten (and two winless) teams in the NFL.

Welcome to week 8. Is it too early to talk about the playoffs? While no teams have actually clinched a playoff berth, and not even the Dolphins are (yet) statistically eliminated, some of the good teams are starting to stand out. So, no, it doesn't seem too early.

Essentially in already: New England (8-0), Indianapolis (7-0).
Almost certainly in: Dallas (6-1), NY Giants (6-2).
Theirs to lose: Green Bay (5-1), Seattle (4-3), Pittsburgh (5-2).

Probably Out, but anything is possible: Chicago (3-5), Philly (3-4), San Francisco (2-5).
Fooling themselves: Miami (0-8), St. Louis(0-8), Houston (3-5), Oakland (2-5), NY Jets (1-7), Atlanta (1-6).

Oh, those poor Miami Dolphins. The NFL sent them to London, which is a nice perk for such an awful team. But it also sent along the New York Giants, who are one of the best teams in the NFC. And while it was not a pleasant trip for either team, the Giants did at least walk away with the win. Both teams had to endure the interpretation of "God Save the Queen" by the winner of Britain's Got Talent, the seasonably awful London weather, a slippery ball, pasty-white streakers, and a rapidly deteriorating field that was designed and groomed for the wrong kind of football (the blades of grass are thinner, and the field is trimmed much shorter, which makes it very mud-prone. It essentially turned to goo sometime during the second quarter). The word "fook" is on the lips of many of Wembley's groundskeepers this morning. It was ugly, ugly football (rubbish football?), and at the end of the day, the Giants won 13-10 in this defensive slop-fest. The stats of the game? 1) Eli Manning threw for 59 yards. 2) The Dolphins didn't score their touchdown until after the second half two-minute warning. 3) Both teams combined for only 492 yards of offense.

Yeah, it was one of those. The Dolphins fall to 0-8. The Giants go to 6-2, which puts them in the running with Dallas for the top spot in the NFC East. Both teams get next week off. Hopefully some of the Dolphins are going to meet former teammate Ricky Williams in Amsterdam before flying home.

Also holding down the bottom of the standings are the not quite as awful St. Louis Rams. This week, the Rams hosted the perennially struggling Cleveland Browns. Early in the game, the Rams had a 14 point lead, and it looked like perhaps this week would end differently. But it was not to be. The Browns came back to tie the game by halftime, and then held on to win 27-20. This is the first time the Cleveland has won an away game this year. The Browns go to 4-3 (last year, they went 4-12, so this is an improvement). They host Seattle next week. The 0-8 Rams get the week off.

Is there something in the dirty water in Boston? The Red Sox sweep the world series (36 Bostonians had to call in, uh, sick, today, because they were arrested for disorderly conduct last night near Fenway). The Patriots continue to make the oddsmakers look foolish. Who's next? The NHL's Bruins?

This week the undefeated Patriots hosted Washington, in a game that everyone knew was going to be a blowout. Vegas offered a meager 16 points. The Pats' offense scored 17 points before the Redskins even woke up, went to halftime with a 24-0 lead, briefly held a 52-0 lead, and finally settled on a 52-7 rout. The game was over in the second quarter. Washington falls to 4-3, and goes to New Jersey to take on the Jets -- which should help with the 'skins morale. The Patriots are 8-0. The Over on Patriots games is 7-1 so far this season. Next week, they go to Indianapolis.

Indianapolis. Home of the other undefeated team. This week, the Colts' victims were the Carolina Panthers, who started off strong, fighting to a respectable 10-7 halftime score, and generally keet Peyton Manning on his toes and the Indy defense on the field. You'd think there was some sort of inspirational locker room speech during halftime, because the Colts came out and played a 21-0 second half, to win the game 31-7. But no -- the second half blowout is more likely a result of Vinny Testaverde re-injuring his Achilles tendon in the second quarter. David Carr, sore back and all, played the second half for the Panthers. It is unclear who will start next week -- and it's sad that the offense is so broken, that it can't score without a 44 year old QB who started this year's season on his couch.

It's also notable that Peyton Manning broke the late great Johnny Unitas's career touchdown pass record, which was controversially considered to be a team record (Manning himself said that he was uncomfortable talking about the record). Johnny U, while he was certainly a Colt, was not in any way, shape or form, an Indianapolis Colt. A statue of him was erected in 2002, in Colts uniform, in front of M&T Field, home of the Baltimore Ravens (where his record still stands). The words "Indianapolis Colts" still makes Baltimorians spit on the ground. The Panthers fall to 4-3, and are going to Tennessee to play the Titans. Indy is 7-0 and hosts the Patriots.

Right. Next week, two undefeated teams will play each other. This has never happened this late in the season before, and is likely to be the most hyped game of the week (it will probably determine where the AFC championship game will be played this year). This game might be on TV here in San Francisco, if the Raiders/Texans game doesn't sell out (Thank you NFL blackout rules). You see, the Indy/Pats game is going to be played at the same time as the Raiders/Texans game -- and the local CBS station is required to air the local game, if the local stadium sells out. If the local stadium doesn't sell out, CBS can't air the local game, but can air any other CBS game. This week, that alternate game would be Indy/New England. So, if you want to watch good football, don't let your friends buy a Raiders ticket -- or something.

Which brings us to tonight's game.

Tonight, The 5-1 (and first in the NFC North) Green Bay Packers go to Denver to take on the 3-3 Broncos, on the heated DD Grassmaster hybrid bluegrass/plastic system of Invesco field. The 3-3 record is mostly the fault of the porous Denver defense -- they've allowed more rushing yards per game than any other team in the NFL (though whether this is relevant to the Packers, who have produced the fewest rushing yards in the NFL this year, remains unclear).

Green Bay is coming off their bye week (which came after a close win against Washington), and they need to show a national audience that they can maintain the sort of momentum that's brought them their best start in years. If they win, they'll be all alone at the top of the NFC North. If they lose, they'll share first place with Detroit (!!). Denver has the luxury of playing in the AFC West. If they win, their 4-3 record would be good enough to share first place with Kansas City and San Diego.

Both teams are playing for first place (well, sort of). It should be a good game.

The Line:
Denver is favored by 3 points. The over/under is 43.5

Last week, the Smart Money won. It is now 5-2, representing a 36.3% Return on Investment. The S&P 500 has gone up 4.58% over the same time frame.

This week, the Smart Money takes the Packers and the Over.

The Bar:
Tonight, we're going to play around with one of San Francisco's dichotomies: the franchise/chain. We as a city, officially hate chains -- outright banning them from some neighborhoods. Yet, many of those folks who would fight to keep Sizzler in Daly City, can be found enjoying the artichoke dip and cruising for cougars on Palomino's porch. Of course, that icon of mainstream franchised fashion, The Gap, started here. We do love our Peets, too. In fact, there are more chain coffee shops per square mile in SF than anywhere else in California. Somehow, it's still a surprise that San Franciscans have accepted as our own, a faux-industrio-chic faux-German faux-brewpub that got its start in Palo Alto. But the garlic fries are quite tasty, and they keep the vampires away. That's always important this time of year.

Gordon Biersch
2 Harrison Street, on the Embarcadero waterfront.
Spitting distance from the N, T, and 12 Folsom.

Kickoff is at 5:30. See you there?

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