Our “Mount Knowmore” of founding NFL analysts here at Pro Football Focus don't like to say much about the league until they're done rewinding (and rewinding, and rewinding) every play.
But they are but human, and if cut, do bleed. So I asked them to rip themselves out of the grading dungeon for some quick answers to five questions I wanted answered.
They obliged, and so, without any further …
1. What result from Sunday surprised you most?
Khaled Elsayed: I keep expecting the Cowboys to if not turn the corner, at least peek around to see what all the fuss is about. Instead they are going from bad to worse, and while the Jags are capable of highs with their lows, I didn't see them destroying Dallas like that.
Neil Hornsby: The result doesn’t surprise me, but the fact that the Jets couldn’t score a single point on the Packers does. I just thought the Jets O-Line would get a lot more out of that injury riddled defense of Green Bay. Looking forward to breaking it down.
Ben Stockwell: Oakland thumping Seattle. The Seahawks may have struggled on the road, but I wouldn't have expected that scoreline.
Sam Monson: I know Dallas has been a disaster this season, but I really didn't see them being trounced by Jacksonville in Texas Stadium.
2. Donovan McNabb got benched for Rex Grossman in the late stages of a close game. What's your take on McNabb over his last three seasons?
Khaled: For the Eagles he was extremely good for the most part — in that second group of quarterbacks behind the top five. But he's been streaky at best for the Redskins, and it's looking a silly investment to pick up a quarterback who is going to take some time to get to grasps with the offense. With a year under his belt I think he'll be better, but he may not even get that.
Neil: In 2008 and 2009 for Philly he was pretty much as you’d expect — a QB who’s ranked between 10 and 15, average I suppose. This year he’s just been even more inaccurate than normal and he’s struggled even more under pressure than he usually does. I guess Mike Shanahan may be finding out what Andy Reid knew; this is a QB on the downside of his career.
Ben: Still a solid QB. His mobility is diminishing, and his accuracy is still erratic, but he's still a QB you can win with.
Sam: McNabb has never given a team a smaller opportunity to win the game than Rex Grossman would. Shanahan put it down to familiarity with the terminology in the two-minute warning, but something doesn't add up there.
3. The Raiders are red-hot, but are they contenders or pretenders?
Ben: Pretenders still, they've beaten the hopeless Broncos and the erratic Seahawks. They've beaten them well, but still, no need to crown them as contenders at the end of October.
Sam: Pretenders. They've played two teams that just didn't bother showing up in the past fortnight. Sure they looked good getting the wins, but they're still flawed.
Khaled: Contenders. Why not? They play in an AFC West that has taught us hot starts mean nothing so would you really bet your mortgage on the Chiefs winning the division? Tom Cable deserves some credit for creating an identity that the players are buying into and they look like a team that is actually motivated to play right now.
Neil: Like Ben said, consider the opposition when using the term “red-hot.” If they can win two of the next three (vs. KC, @ Pit, Vs. Mia) then probably, but I’d like to see how they fare against legitimately good teams first before I pronounce them as anything more than “improved.”
4. Who do you like to win the NFC South now, Tampa, Atlanta or New Orleans?
Khaled: Tampa will get found out. You only get so many games against bad teams, and it's important to note their wins have come against Carolina, St Louis, Arizona, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Let's see what they go against my pick to win it — Atlanta. The Falcons are the most solid team, and while the Saints have the highest ceiling they just look too erratic to inspire confidence.
Ben: Atlanta, still, just about.
Neil: I started with the Saints and I’ll stick with them.
Sam: I still think they're the best side in the division, even if New Orleans went a long way to repairing their season with a W this week.
5. Many people probably don't know that our four main anaylsts are based in England (and yes, they know it's not Pro Futbol Focus). What was the feeling about Broncos-Niners over there?
Neil: As usual with the British media, the actual game was downplayed and many tended to focus on impending labor disputes and “vicious” helmet to helmet contacts. These guys could turn an episode of Sesame Street into an R-rated bloodbath. On a side note, I did go to the game and a couple of 49er fans from the states asked me if I got to see much football over here! I told them I saw the odd game or two.
Khaled: The significance of it being in London kind of went over my head. Football is football wherever it is played. I've gone to games in the past but had no interest in seeing this one, though I did watch it live along with a few other games and found it to be a pretty good game. The atmosphere was unique in that the fans were into it for more than the result, because it's so rare to see games. I applaud the NFL for growing the game overseas … just don't put a franchise in London!
Ben: I must say that I didn't pay the game any attention on Sunday — I actually don't watch football live Sundays. And being buried away in my office all week churning out the analysis for PFF, I don't get to see the media coverage in the lead-up. Guess I'm the wrong person to ask!
Sam: Started off slow, but got going later on and ended up a pretty good ball game. Troy Smith could make an interesting QB option for the 49ers going forward. In other words, it was a football game, regardless of where it was played.
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