The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - Week 8

The Good:

The Colts. Normally, I reserve praise for Manning and Company simply because it’s a given. However, they’re proved especially resilient this season. GM Bill Polian did a phenomenal job stocking this team with talent. The Colts offense featured Mike Hart and Jacob Tammie in the starting lineup last night and didn’t miss a beat against the Texans. Peyton Manning receives so much praise that it’s become cliché to do so but when key members of the offense go down and the he doesn’t miss a beat, he deserves every word of it. If the Colts defense keeps opposing offenses to a dull roar, Indy could find itself in Dallas come February.

The Bad:

The Washington Redskins. Losing to the Lions isn’t as bad as it seems. The Raiders and Lions have both shown us this year that if you get top 10 draft picks for a decade, you will improve. The Lions have a lively offense and a few nice defensive pieces. However, the Redskins showed zero faith in McNabb by benching him in favor of Rex Grossman. McNabb is a streaky player. He always has been. Shanahan pulled him and likely created some tension in his relationship with his quarterback. Reid benched McNabb once before, but they had many years together along with the requisite trust. At this stage in his career, McNabb knows he isn’t a part of the team’s long term plan. I think Shanahan gave McNabb reason to look over his shoulder, which could result in poor decisions from McNabb trying to make plays that aren’t there.

The Ugly

I’d go with the Cowboys but I don’t want to waste perfectly good internet on them. However, the Vikings looked the ugliest coming off another loss but the true ugly stems from the release of Randy Moss. The Moss acquisition created a lot of buzz and should have given Brett Favre the downfield threat Sidney Rice’s injury created. However, the Vikings failed to see that New England’s willingness to part with their big name receiver in the middle of a playoff push represented a huge ominous red flag. Randy’s skill set no longer appears to justify the troubles he brings along. The Vikings took a shot and missed badly. Moss will surely find another team and another paycheck but the Vikings will not get back the 3^rd rounder they dealt away.