Seven & Out – Week V
By Michael – Louis Ingram Associate Editor/Director of Scouting=Football Reporters Online
FRO/BASN
PHILADELPHIA (FRO/BASN): The word from On High is out about Week 5 in the NFL; so we come bearing gifts - (or is it gifting Bears?) Either way, here’s seven bowls of porridge for you…
Dallas wide receiver MILES AUSTIN had 10 catches for a team-record 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 26-20 overtime victory at Kansas City. Austin, who had a 60-yard game-winning TD reception in OT, is the 10th player in NFL history to record at least 10 catches, 250 yards and two touchdowns in a game. He is the only one of those 10 to record the game-winning score in overtime.
(Oh, yeah – and Dallas needed every damn yard in order to avoid a major upset by the Chiefs {nee Dallas Texans!} What I find really interesting is how the accounts of the heroic comeback of the quarterback pales in comparison to that of who actually did the heavy lifting; in this case, Austin – who, like Patrick Crayton & Sam Hurd, spoke glowingly as to how a former teammate helped them become professionals. Some guy named Terrell Owens…)
In addition to Austin, Atlanta wide receiver RODDY WHITE had eight catches for a team-record 210 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 45-10 win at San Francisco. This marks the second time in NFL history that two receivers each recorded at least 200 receiving yards and two TD catches on the same day (Kansas City’s STEPHONE PAIGE and Houston’s DREW HILL, December 22, 1985).
(I am wondering when the Devil plans to come and knock on Roddy White’s door to either ask for the hands he had grafted on him, or for his soul. While I now say this facetiously, White has come a long way as a receiver. He still has a lot further to go, however, before being given consideration as one of the league’s elite. For arguments’ sake, let’s say, ohh, Randy Moss, Andre “Soundwave” Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, Owens, Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith, Steve Smith {no I didn’t stutter; the Giants ‘ Smith is just as good} Anquan Boldin, Chad Ocho Cinco, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Santana Moss, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Antonio Bryant, Desmond Mason, Donald Driver, Chris Chambers, Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker, Jericho Cotchery, Lavernaues Coles, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Greg Jennings, Lee Evans and maybe two or three I can’t think of off the top of my head – then we’ll talk!)
Arizona quarterback KURT WARNER passed for 302 yards in the Cardinals’ 28-21 victory over Houston. It marked the 50th career 300-yard passing performance of his career, the fifth-most in NFL history. Warner, who has now passed for 300 yards in 50 of 113 games (44.2 percent), is the fastest quarterback to reach 50 300-yard games, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (176 games).
(Again we have our “so what?” statistic for the week. How many of those damn games did Warner win?)
Warner has now passed for 13,255 yards as a Cardinal. He threw for 14,447 yards with the St. Louis Rams and joins Pro Football Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON as the only players to pass for at least 13,000 yards with two different teams.
(It’s safe to say those yards with the Rams were mostly wins; just as most of those Cardinal/N.Y. Giants yards were mostly losses. In this bastardized fantasy universe of stat masturbation, it only means Warner, a decent player and man by all accounts, has had a lengthy career filled with some worthy accomplishments.)
Baltimore safety ED REED had a 52-yard interception-return touchdown against Cincinnati, the 12th return TD of his career. Reed is now tied with RONDE BARBER, DEVIN HESTER and DARREN SHARPER for the most return touchdowns among active players.
(Ed Reed is not just a safety; he is the best safety in football. Although fans in Pittsburgh {Troy Polamalu} may disagree, no one player I’ve seen {including my man ex- Eagle Brian “Wolverine” Dawkins} plays every aspect of the position with as much skill as Reed.
Reed also has wide receiver hands, rarely drops the ball when in his neighborhood, and has only been in the game nine seasons, with just about every one of them at Pro Bowl level or better. If he walked away right now, Reed is about as slam-dunk a first vote Hall of Fame selection as any to come down the pike in years.)
Dallas tight end JASON WITTEN played in his 100th career game and had five catches for 47 yards. Witten has 457 career receptions, the second-most all-time by a tight end in his first 100 games. Pro Football Hall of Famer KELLEN WINSLOW had 497 catches in the first 100 games of his career.
(An actual testament to both tight ends, given the caliber of receivers they have had as teammates.)
Denver wide receiver EDDIE ROYAL had 10 catches for 90 yards in the Broncos’ 20-17 overtime victory over New England. Royal, who now has 109 receptions in 20 career games, is the third wide receiver in NFL history to reach 100 catches in 20 or fewer games, joining Arizona’s ANQUAN BOLDIN (16 games) and former New England wide receiver TERRY GLENN (20).
(Nice selection by Denver in drafting Royal - a nifty, shifty receiver who runs all the patterns by the numbers, and is an excellent complement to Marshall in attacking opposing defenses.)
Philadelphia rookie wide receiver JEREMY MACLIN had six catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 33-14 win over Tampa Bay. Maclin recorded the first two TDs of his career on receptions of 51 and 40 yards. He is the fifth rookie since 1970 to have his first two career receiving touchdowns go for at least 40 yards and occur in the same game.
(Now if only Philadelphia had put this kind of effort in finding comparable talent when McNabb was at his peak; I still believe Giants got the best receiver in the draft in Hakeem Nicks, but Maclin’s not bad…)
Cincinnati running back CEDRIC BENSON rushed for 120 yards in the Bengals’ 17-14 win over Baltimore. Benson is the first running back since Kansas City’s LARRY JOHNSON (120 yards on December 10, 2006) to rush for 100 yards against the Ravens, ending the NFL’s longest current streak (39 games) without allowing a 100-yard rusher.
(Cast off by Chicago, Benson has made the most of his opportunity with Cincinnati, running the rock hard, displacing incumbent Rudi Johnson, and making an early statement for Comeback Player of the Year!)
And, as always, once the point has been established - if you throw a seven – you crap out!
mike@footballreportersonline.com
