The NFC Report - Week 8
Listed in: FootballSo instead of looking at each of the team in the NFC this week, I'm going to look at some of the surprising players throughout the conference: both the guys who are exceeding expectations and the guys who are underwhelming.
Quarterback
The Good: Jeff Garcia. I'm going to repeat something from an earlier NFC Report: "I can't believe I'm going to say this sentence, but I guess the Philadelphia fans were right." Last year, Garcia was 10th in the NFL in DVOA, and so far this year he's 4th in DVOA (and 3rd in DPAR). The yardage and touchdowns aren't exactly overwhelming, but he's completing 71% of his passes and moving the Buccaneers down the field.
The Bad: Marc Bulger. Yes, his downfall is somewhat linked to the collapse of the offensive line in St. Louis. But I saw him firsthand last week, and whether it's the injuries, the line, or something else Bulger is a bad quarterback right now. He's skittish in the pocket, and he threw one of the least explicable interceptions I've ever seen near his own goal line. With the entire Rams team marching towards 0-16, don't expect things to get any better.
The Ugly: Tavaris Jackson. He's completing 48% of his passes. That wouldn't work even if he were throwing the ball deep with regularity, but since he's averaging just 5.3 YPA it's even more despicable. Minnesota needs to end this experiment now, before they waste another fantastic year by their run defense. Decent quarterbacks can be had on the open market, so there's no excuse to have your depth chart read Jackson, Holcomb, Bollinger.
Running Back
The Good: Marion Barber. Why Dallas continues to give carries to Julius Jones instead of Barber is a constant mystery. Yes, you used a high draft pick on Jones, but that's in the past. Not only is Barber a better runner, but he's a better blocker and receiver. Plus, he provided one of the highlights of the year with his amazing, safety-avoiding end zone run two weeks ago. Mix in Barber as a full time back, and that Cowboys offense just keeps improving.
The Bad: The NFC West. Yes, I've been harping on Shaun Alexander for a while. But
the struggles of Frank Gore and Steven Jackson, though understandable in hindsight, were not what I expected. I (like most everyone else) had Gore and Jackson as, at worst, the second- and third-best backs in football. So far this year they've been vastly outstripped by a white dude in St. Louis. To rub it in even more, Edgerrin James has been playing more like his old self in Arizona, which doesn't at all happen to coincide with the Cardinals developing a decent offensive line. Nope, no correlation there.
The Ugly: Cedric Benson. There are a lot of reasons the Bears have struggled this year. The first few weeks of Rex Grossman, the injuries to and decline of the defense, and Devin Hester not being able to touch the ball on every play. Yet one of the main culprits has to be Benson, who has utterly failed to live up to his lofty draft status. This year, the Bears let the far more accomplished Thomas Jones leave so they could hand the ball off to Benson exclusively, and he's responded by being the worst back in the league.
Wide Receiver
The Good: Plaxico Burress. A running joke/observation between Ben and I has basically been that Plaxico Burress is the only reason Eli Manning is still a starting quarterback. Burress' amazing athletic ability has allowed him to haul in many a wayward pass by the Giants quarterback, and his talents after the catch have turned modest gains into touchdowns. Burress gets a bad rap for his lack of motivation and toughness, but when he's on the field he's been the best wideout in the NFC this year.
The Bad: Santana Moss. A longtime favorite of Ben's, Moss has turned in a forgettable year so far, highlighted by a brutal game against Green Bay in which his numerous errors likely cost the Redskins the contest. Moss has apparently taken up residence in Joe Gibbs' doghouse, and with numbers like his this year it's not hard to see why.
The Ugly: Joe Horn. This year, the Falcons have throw 36 passes to Horn. They've gained just 142 yards for their efforts, as Horn is catching only 38% of the passes thrown to him, a number that only Chris Chambers could love. Horn was a very good receiver for a number of years, but those days seem to have passed.
Tight End
The Good: Jason Witten. The injury to Terry Glenn appears to have benefited Witten most of all, as he's emerged as Tony Romo's go-to-guy whenever he needs a big completion. Witten catches a high percentage of the balls thrown his way, and he both finds the end zone and the first down marker with regularity.
The Bad: Vernon Davis. Two years after being the sixth overall pick in the draft, Davis is looking more and more like a bust. That's what can happen when you draft a guy with great physical skills and no actual ability to play football. Davis has mediocre hands and can't run routes at all. Plus, he can't or won't block. In short, he can make the occasional big play but otherwise will not contribute at all to a viable passing attack.
The Ugly: Bubba Franks. While a number of players are responsible for the Packers' somewhat surprising 5-1 start, longtime veteran Franks isn't one of them. Yes, the Green Bay gameplan doesn't rely on the tight end heavily, since the wideouts run shorter routes than most offenses, but Donald Lee has been effective when he's had the ball come his way. Franks is no longer a worthy starter, but his history with Brett Favre means that the Pack will probably keep rolling him out there for at least a few more Sundays.
