Things I have Learned ... the Packers at the Vikings

The Counselor is IN:

Things I have Learned ... the Packers at the Vikings.

1) QB Brett Favre is old and can not play any longer... NOT! At 40 years of age (later this season) Brett can still fling the ball all around the field when he needs to. The Vikings are starting to let Brett play and this should open up the run more for Peterson.

2) QB Aaron Rogers is a good up and coming Quarter Back but he was no Brett Favre on this night. Rogers has not played in the big games like Favre has and it showed tonight. I know he wanted to beat the old man and his former mentor but it was not to be.

3) The Packer Defense is a good and opportunistic defense. They came in to stop Peterson and did a good job of it. It appears they should have focused more on Favre.

4) RB Adrian Peterson can be slowed down. Peterson had a sub par game in Minnesota which is rare. This opened the door for Favre which I believe will lead to more opportunities for Peterson later this season.

5) The Minnesota Defense is for real and vicious. They are hard hitting and can dominate the line of scrimmage. 8 Sacs on the night and one for a safety. OUCH!

6) WR Greg Jennings has amazing hands and concentration. His catch off of the deflection was phenomenal.

7) RB Ryan Grant has not looked like the same stud from a couple of years ago.

8) WR Percy Harvin looks to be way ahead of the 3 year Rookie WR learning curve. He is a fantasy starter right now.


Those are a few things I learned from the Packers @ the Vikings.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things I have Learned ... the Raiders at the Chiefs

The Counselor is IN:

Things I have Learned ... the Raiders at the Chiefs.

1) The rivalry of the Chiefs/Raiders is strong and alive no matter the status of their teams. It was a fun game to watch no matter how ugly it was (and it was UGLY!)

2) RB Larry Johnson is not as bad and finished as I thought he was. He looked good running against the Raiders Defense with 24 carries for 78 yards.

3) The Raiders rushing attacked looked pitiful. They combined for 25 carries and 67 yards. McFadden did breaking a 8 yard scamper into the End Zone to win the game.

4) Matt Cassel looked average at best. He did have 241 yards on 24 of 39 and a touchdown but he also had 2 interceptions. He did demonstrate his ability to move around and that saved him from several sacks. This is not the Patriots starting offensive line.

5) Russell had a horrible day. He was 7 for 24 and 109 yards. He did look better in the second half where he made critical completions.

6) WR Dwayne Bowe could be a superstar on a good football team.



Those are a few things I learned from the Raiders @ the Chiefs.



The Counselor is OUT:

Things I have Learned ... Buccaneers at the Panthers.

The Counselor is IN:

Things I have Learned ... Buccaneers at the Panthers.

1) Runningbacks DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are phenomenal combination. If one is having a rough week, then the other one picks up the slack. When they are both on fire, they can put up 299 yards rushing, like they did against a good Bucs defense.

2) WR Antonio Bryant displayed why he is a top level talent. He had nine receptions and 200 yards receiving. He also displayed his immaturity by getting a stupid and careless penalty.

3) QB Jake Delhomme has struggled all season. He has not looked like the top Tier Quarterback from a few years back. But he still knows how to find Steve Smith.

4) QB Jeff Garcia can still put up great numbers. He had 321 yards and 2 touchdowns.

5) WR Steve Smith is starting to put up numbers of a top fantasy Wide Receiver. He was the top fantasy WR a few years ago and may get back to that.

6) Both of these teams defense are suppose to be tough to play against. They did not look like it this weekend. Tampa could not stop the run and Carolina could not stop the pass. Look for these weaknesses to be exploited more.

Those are a few things I learned from the Buccaneers at the Panthers.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Giants at the Cardinals.

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Giants at the Cardinals.

1) QB Eli Manning has become a good quarterback for Giants. He is a decent fantasy QB but can be very sporadic. This week Eli had an excellent three touchdowns but he was only average on yardage with 240 yards.

2) WR Anquan Boldin is a great wide receiver and a wonderful fantasy starter. He is a gold mine in points per catch leagues- he has had 10 or more catches in the last three days.

3) WR/KR Domenik Hixon is a developing WR but is a stud returner. He had 180 yards in kick off returns. He can change a game in one play. If your team gives points for return yards, then Hixon is a must start.

4) The Cardinals running game was not impressive. They combined for 15 carries and 23 yards. That is 1.5 yard per carry average- pitiful!

5) The Giants running game was better than the Cards but still not impressive. They were without their big man- Brandon Jacobs. They were 27 carries for 87 yards for3.2 yards a carry.

6) QB Kurt Warner put up some great yards in 351. He had a touchdown and an interception. He has been a fantasy stud all year.

Those are a few things I learned from the Giants at the Cardinals.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Titans at Da Bears.

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Titans at Da Bears.

1) The Bears Defense is extremely tough against the run. They were unable to lock down the passing game of the Titans.

2) QB Kerry Collins continues to impress me. He is able to manage the Titans much better than Young. He still has a big arm. He appears to have matured in his decision making.

3) QB Rex Grossman looked pedestrian at best. He still has a big arm but there is much more to being a good QB than just a strong arm.

4) RB Matt Forte is a tough hard noised runningback that fits well in the Bears style. This was a great draft pick for them. He appears to be on paces to be a fantasy stud for years to come.

5) Titans Offensive line did a great job of pass protection. There were not able to open many running lanes.

6) The Titans runningbacks went no where fast. White and Johnson combined for 22 yards on 24 carries. This team is noted for their rushing attack. The Bears shut them down today.

Those are a few things I learned from the Titans at Da Bears.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Buccaneers at the Chiefs

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Buccaneers at the Chiefs.

1) Kansas City is a great football city. The Chiefs fans come out if their team is good or bad. Arrowhead is truly the loudest stadium in the NFL. These rowdy fans also know how to tailgate before the game. (I was at Sunday’s game)

2) QB Jeff Garcia is a good manager of his team. He does not have great arm strength and usually makes the short passes. He is efficient and productive with 31 completions of 43 pass attempts with 339 yards. He had a touchdown and an interception. He led this team back from a 24-3 2^nd quarter deficit.

3) QB Tyler Thigpen is an exciting, young, developing quarterback. He can make the touch passes and the long passes. He also can catch the ball on trick plays. He was 14 completions for 25 attempts for 164 and a touchdown. He also caught a caught a 37 yard touchdown pass on a trick play. If he can continue to develop, the Chiefs may finally have their QB of the future.

4) WR Antonio Bryant is developing into top level Wide Out. He is clearly Garcia’s favorite receiver. He had 8 receptions for 115 yards.

5) The Kansas City runningback combination of Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles looked good. Smith had 46 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Charles carried the ball 18 times for 106 yards. Smith’s in game injury led to the caries by Charles. It appeared that they did not miss the suspended L.J.

6) TE Tony Gonzalez is still one of the best Tight Ends in the game. He has a great one handed catch that was called back on a questionable penalty.

7) RB Earnest Graham did not have the great day I expected. He was starting against one of the worst running defenses in the league. He only had 62 yards on 19 carries and 2 fumbles.

8) Both Offensive lines looked good in pass protection. Neither QB has many hits on them behind the line of scrimmage.

9) CB Brandon Flowers of the Chiefs looks like a steal in the draft. He can play and has had to step up and play a lot.

Those are a few things I learned from the Buccaneers at the Chiefs.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Colts at the Titans

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Colts at the Titans.

1) QB Kerry Collins looked solid as the starting QB for the Titans. He had less yardage than Manning and no TDs but he also had no interceptions. He is the right choice for this time instead of Vince Young.

2) TE Dallas Clark is an underrated TE. He is a great tight end and an excellent fantasy Tight End.

3) RB LenDale White has 10 rushing Touchdowns. He leads the league in rushing TDs. I would not have believed White would have of that amount for the season. But he was 10 carries for 13 yards.

4) QB Peyton Manning does not look completely healthy or completely comfortable in the pocket. I am not sure if it is the injury that is bothering him or if he is still has residual effects of missing training camp. He went 26 for 41 for 223 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

5) The Indy Wide Receivers were missing once again. Peyton found Clark a lot but did not get the ball to his star wide receivers very often. Wayne and Harrison had 4 catches for 41 yards.

6) RB Dominic Rhodes had a decent night running the ball. He had 70 yards on 17 carries.

7) RB Chris Johnson of the Titans also had a solid night. He had 19 carries and 77 yards and a touchdown.

8) The Titans defense looked really sharp. The are for real and will keep the Titans in a lot of games.

9) The Titans are now 7-0 and the only undefeated team. I would not have guessed that the Titans would still be undefeated after 7 games.

Those are a few things I learned from the Colts at the Titans.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Seahawks at the Bucs.

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Seahawks at the Bucs.

1) I am not a big fan of Chris Collinsworth but it was nice to watch Sunday Night Football without John Madden. I love John Madden Video Games but I have come to dislike him as a commentator.

2) QB Jeff Garcia appears to have resurrected his career in Tampa. He makes good decisions and can make about any type of pass including shuttle and jump passes. He is starting to look like a fantasy football starting QB.

3) KR Josh Wilson is a good return man for Seattle. His explosiveness also broke open holes for a touchdown more than once. Keep an eye on this special team player.

4) WR Antonio Bryant has developed into a number one Wide Receiver for Tampa. He appears to be on the same page with Garcia. He is worth starting as a third wide or a flex player regularly and a very good off week option.

5) QB/WR Seneca Wallace should not be the backup QB. Wallace should focus on developing as a WR for Seattle. Otherwise he will may end up as the Seahawks version of Kordell "Slash" Stewart.

6) Tampa Bay's Defense looks very solid. They are tough enough to keep Tampa in any game and could lead them deep into the play offs.

7) The Seahawks seem to be missing their former Kicker Josh Brown. Mare is not the kicker that Brown was for them. No team likes to pay premium dollars for a kicker but I think the Seahawks might be willing to change their mind on Brown if give the opportunity.

8) Both defenses did a fine job against the run. The Bucs did do much better against the pass than the Seahawks.

Those are a few things I learned from the Seahawks at the Bucs game.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Rams at the Redskins

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Rams at the Redskins.

1) WR Torry Holt is being taken out of the game by opposing defenses. The Redskins were able to do this. This is severely hurting the Rams' offense and fantasy teams.

2) RB Clinton Portis appears to be healthy and running like his former self. As long as he stays healthy, Portis is a top level running back.

3) RB Steven Jackson is not getting any room to run the ball. His line is not doing their part.

4) K Josh Brown is the bright spot of the Rams offense.

5) QB Jason Campbell continues to improve and look like a superstar waiting to break out.

6) WR Donnie Avery is a good young WR for the Rams. He brings badly needed speed to the Rams team.

7) The Redskins have to be disappointed with this loss. The Rams did earn their first win against a really good team.

Those are a few things I learned from the Rams at the Redskins game.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from Pats v Colts

This is a new weekly segment entitled: Things I Have Learned... I will give some insight from a game during the previous week.

The Counselor is IN:

1) New England is the best team in the NFL ... for now. Most people will be quick to state that this is a no brainer. I had been holding out to name the best team until one of these juggernauts lost. Now we know who the best is. This could change with 8 more weeks left in the season. By the end of week 17 it could be the Patriots or the Colts, or the Cowboys, or the Packers, or the Giants, or the Lions, or any number of teams. It will not be the Rams or the Dolphins.

2) A good running game can help equalize the Patriots. The Colts ran the ball well in the first half and made the Patriots defense look slow. Addai not only ran well but also caught the ball out of the backfield well. The Cowboys also did this to an extent but did not utilize it as well.

3) Tom Brady does not perform well when being hit in the mouth. When the Colts Defense was able to pressure Brady, he did make mistakes and appeared to be unsure of himself on a few plays after being hit hard.

4) Randy Moss is a monster of a receiver and could catch the ball with one hand while being tortured by Jack Bauer (24 reference). Even when Brady made bad passes, Moss was there to bail him out. Moss is back and was by far the best off season pickup by any team.

5) The Colts miss Harrison. Marvin may be getting up there in age but the Colts need him back. The Patriots were able to limit Wayne and Clark because there was no Harrison for them to worry about. I honestly believe this game would have ended very differently if Harrison had been healthy because the Patriots could not have covered all three of these receivers.

6) How false the misconception is that "No one can slow down the Patriots!" They only scored 24 points this week. The Patriots are a great team. But they can be slowed down. Teams will need to examine what the Colts did not Offense and Defense to copy the formula on slowing down this recorded paced offense.

7) Patriots still need a running game. Maroney is still coming back from injury and he looked fairly good when he got the ball. This team does not seem concerned with developing its running game. Cold weather is coming and a running games helps win game in December and January. If they do not start developing a running game now, they may have attempt winning in a cold climate with passing only. This is the same problem that the Packers have.

Those are a few things I learned from the Pats v Colts game.

The Counselor is OUT: