NFL Week 12: Cortland Finnegan, Andre Johnson And 25 Things We Learned This Week
Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson duked it out in Houston, but you already knew that if you're reading this piece. That doesn't mean there isn't something we can take out of this.
As always, each week in the NFL offers new lessons for everybody, and this week was no exception.
Two big upset specials were in the works involving AFC North teams until reality intervened and the better teams won. So we learned that sometimes the universe does work to correct injustices.
Here are 25 things we learned from the NFL this week.
25. Sometimes The Game Is As Good As Advertised
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The Falcons-Vikings game was advertised as a huge clash between NFC powerhouses that might meet again in the playoffs.
That's exactly what it was, and anyone who saw the game is looking forward to a possible rematch.
24. Bill Belichick Will Fight You
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What's going on in this picture? It looks like Belichick is going out on the field to start fighting people.
I wouldn't mess with him. He's mean.
Whenever there's a Patriots turnover, I half expect Belichick to just pull out a gun and shoot the offender in the leg. Then again, I put the remote down every time Yosemite Sam calls out Bugs Bunny.
23. James Harrison Likes Getting Fined
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Ridiculous. That's about all you can say if you're a Steelers fan. Whether you agree with the helmet-to-helmet rule or not, you know what the league's stance on the policy is.
So why Harrison continues to launch himself at opponents, leading with the helmet, is just mind-boggling at this point.
Have fun writing that check, Harrison!
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22. Carson Palmer Will Throw Interceptions, You Can't Stop Him
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Carson Palmer compounds fans' frustrations by making bad decisions this year. He's forcing the ball into bad locations, not making the correct reads, and trying to make things happen when he probably should just throw the ball away.
Thursday night was no exception as Palmer once again made two bad throws. You'd think the coaches would have hammered it into his head by now to stop trying to do everything, but apparently they have not.
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick May Be Throwing Andrew Luck Out Of Buffalo
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Quick poll: How many Buffalo fans still want to take Andrew Luck in the first round?
I'm not saying the Bills shouldn't draft a quarterback, but with the way Fitzpatrick has evolved this year, are you sure you want to take a quarterback in the first round?
I'm starting to lean toward no.
20. Jacoby Ford Is A Really Fast Receiver
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OK, we already knew Jacoby Ford was fast, but seriously?
Jacoby Ford looked like an Olympic sprinter running against the high school varsity track team.
19. This Just In: Sam Bradford Is the Real Thing
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Sam Bradford once again earned his paycheck, taking the Rams to victory over the Broncos and proving an NFC West team can win outside its division.
Bradford merely had 308 yards passing with three touchdowns.
18. Josh McDaniels Might Be In Trouble
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The Broncos are losing and allegations of cheating now surround Josh McDaniels.
Whether McDaniels cheated is irrelevant. The fact that he might have opened the door for all kinds of cheating-related humor.
If McDaniels is going to cheat, don't you think he should be winning more? That might be proof enough right there that he's innocent.
17. Tampa Bay Doesn't Beat Good Teams
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According to the stat provided by NBC, the Buccaneers are 0-4 against teams with winning records.
That means I wouldn't be going to buy any Super Bowl tickets yet for the Buccaneers.
16. The Jaguars Ran Out Of Miracles
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The Jaguars have been winning games in spectacular, last-second fashion all year.
Not this week, though, as it appears the Jaguars' magical bag of winning games in improbable fashions came up empty this week.
15. Josh Freeman Can't Win Every Fourth-Quarter Comeback
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Josh Freeman has been leading fourth-quarter comebacks all year, but he came up short against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The Bucs haven't won against a team with a winning record all year so, with that in mind, it shouldn't be surprising Freeman came up short against a team with a winning record.
14. The Cleveland Browns Actually Won A Close Game
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The Browns have lost five games this year that were decided in the fourth quarter and when they had the lead going into the second half.
That all changed on Sunday as the Browns took the lead with a few minutes left and survived a last-second field goal attempt that bounced off of the upright.
13. Justin Tuck Will Be The Next Movie Of The Week
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Apparently, all the Giants needed to get back on track after losing two straight games was for Justin Tuck to stand up in the locker room and say: "Stop playing like garbage!"
I'm sure Hollywood already is working on the script and getting casting calls out.
I smell Oscars!
12. Jimmy Clausen Needs A Lot Of Work
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Jimmy Clausen is showing exactly why he wasn't drafted in the first round. He doesn't read defenses well, he has happy feet in the pocket, and he makes bad decisions.
Whoever coaches the Panthers next year is going to have quite a gauntlet to go through with Clausen, but there's nothing about him at this point that screams underrated at this point.
11. Tom Brady Is Perfect
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Tom Brady completed 21-of-27 passes for 341 yards with no interceptions, giving him a perfect rating of 158.3 for the second time in his career.
Between his brilliant on-field performance and his luxurious hair, it's safe to say I hate Tom Brady and everything about him.
10. Michael Vick Is Human
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Michael Vick threw his first pick in four years on Sunday just before halftime.
And the Seventh Seal was broken while the Angel of Death commanded the Four Horsemen to ride forth.
Repent! The end is nigh!
9. The NFC West Most Likely Will Win The Division With A 7-9 Record
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While we're still double-checking the math, at this point it appears the NFC West could be won by a team with a 7-9 record.
This is why the NFC West should just not be allowed into the playoffs this year, because one more deserving team is going to lose out because of this travesty.
Right now, it's a crap shoot on who that eventual winner may be because the teams are all equally bad.
8. Kansas City Chiefs Are For Real
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Yes, it was the Seahawks, but the Chiefs scored 42 points against a bad team, so that is exactly what was supposed to happen.
The Chiefs have had a few bumps along the way, but that's to be expected. Bottom line is the Chiefs are great and almost certainly will be in the playoffs this year.
7. Vincent Jackson And Sidney Rice Weren't Ready To Play
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Vincent Jackson started for the Chargers on Sunday night, but he didn't finish, playing only about 10 snaps.
Sidney Rice was on the field, but not that you'd really notice. Whether by design or chance, Rice wasn't a factor in the game versus the Redskins.
Glad to see these guys back in action!
6. Peyton Manning Hates San Diego
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Peyton Manning threw two picks in the first half and his quarterback rating was looking very Derek Anderson-ish as the teams wound their way into halftime.
Manning just can't do everything by himself, and this is the proof.
5. The Titans Are Getting Ready To Run Up The White Flag
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Rusty Smith, Kerry Collins and Chris Simms now represent the depth at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.
Smith is green, Collins is injured and Simms is rusty. (Thank you, I'll be here all night!)
At this point, with Vince Young potentially on his way to the quarterback carousel in the sky, the Titans may be contemplating moving up in the draft.
4. New Coaches Make All The Difference
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If it weren't for the Saints holding on, interim coaches in the NFL would be 4-0 right now.
So Mike Singletary might want to call ahead on Tuesday before going into the office if the 49ers lose on Monday night.
3. Steve Johnson Is The New Braylon Edwards
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Steve Johnson had five drops in the game on Sunday, including the game-winning catch that somehow didn't happen despite the fact it was in his hands and he was bringing the ball into his body.
It must have been those evil gnomes that jumped on the ball in mid-air and put grease on it.
Even Braylon Edwards thinks Johnson has brick hands.
2. Cortland Finnegan Knows How To Take A Punch
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Cortland Finnegan may have come out on the losing end of the fight with Andre Johnson, but he proved he knows how to take a punch.
Johnson tagged Finnegan with a couple of good shots and manhandled him to the ground pretty well.
Finnegan may want a rematch but his trainers should advise against it.
1. Andre Johnson Has A Future With The UFC
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Andre Johnson's takedown skills are developing nicely, but he needs to work on his ground-and-pound if he wants a title shot.
Still, for a guy who doesn't fight in the Octagon on a regular basis, he showed good form and that he has a heck of a punch.
Great fight by Johnson. Where's Dana White when you need him?
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