(AP Photo via MLive.com)

We are witnessing something historic right now in the NFL. As the Lions soundly defeated the Bears 24-13 last night on Monday Night Football, the team that was the laughing stock of the league at 0-16 just three years ago improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1956.

It was the city’s first MNF game since 1991, and the Detroit crowd brought the noise to Ford Field, resulting in six false start penalties by the visiting Bears in the first half (9 total). Calvin Johnson scored on a 73-yard pass from Matt Stafford in the second quarter, and Jahvid Best added an 88-yard TD dash to give the Lions a double-digit lead in the third quarter.

The Lions defense harassed Jay Cutler all night long with 3 sacks and countless knockdowns, and to his credit, the Bears QB hung in and did his best to avoid the rush and try to make things happen. But Chicago simply couldn’t get the offense rolling in the second half, and the defense couldn’t contain Best, so the Bears now fall to 2-3, a full three games behind the NFC North leading Lions and Packers.

Watch Jahvid Best’s 88-yard TD run after the jump:

Michael Bolton: That's the worst idea I've ever heard in my life, Tom (Image via blogspot.com)

Every year, we try to refrain from pulling a Tom Smykowski from Office Space, and jumping to any conclusions about the upcoming NFL season prematurely. In a sixteen-game season, it usually takes several games for teams to figure out their identity, and a lot longer than that to determine a realistic playoff picture.

So, while it’s tempting to draw knee-jerk reactions from a couple of games, we at least try to wait until the quarter-point mark to start making our hyperbolic and definitive statements about the season ahead. Even with the lockout-shortened off-season, four games is enough to get a sense of which teams are back in the driver’s seat (Packers, Patriots), and which teams are going to have trouble living up to expectations (Jets, Rams).

So without further adieu, here are our top 5 observations on the ol’ Jump To Conclusions mat:

1. 

   (Photo: Philly.com)

   The “Dream Team” is actually a Nightmare: This pre-season, the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned as NFC East Champions based almost solely on the big name signings made by GM Howie Roseman, who apparently attended the Dan Snyder school of Free Agency. Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins were among the stars to join the Philadelphia roster, and Eagles fans were planning trips to the Super Bowl before a down had been played.

   Well, after a 1-3 start, the Eagles are proving that it takes more than just raw talent to win in the NFL, and chemistry can be the most important thing for a team to succeed. Plus, in the age of the salary cap, spending huge money at certain positions inevitably results in deficiencies elsewhere (see the Eagles LB corps), and so far the Philly defense has been a big disappointment. It will be interesting to see how Andy Reid – and the egos in his locker room – handles their early adversity.



(Photo: WashingtonPost.com)

2. The Detroit Lions will compete for the NFC crown: Yes, the Lions bandwagon is already starting to get crowded after starting the season 4-0 for the first time since 1980, and completing consecutive comebacks of 20 points or more against the Vikings and Cowboys.Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson are unquestionably young superstars in this league, and if Matt Stafford can remain healthy, they give Jim Schwartz’ team a chance to compete in any game. And first round draft pick Nick Fairley could return from injury this week, making Detroit’s defense even more imposing. Bottom line: the Lions will make playoffs this year.
3. The Buffalo Bills are for real: The Bills are off to an impressive 3-1 start, and after defeating their hated rival Patriots in Week 3, they’re a fashionable pick to surprise in the AFC this year. Chan Gailey’s offense is clicking with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson off to a hot start, and the Bills defense has been opportunistic with 8 INTs. But those takeaways could be covering up for bigger problems on defense, and Buffalo faces a brutal schedule late in the season which will really test their road toughness. So while the Bills are definitely improved, and there’s reason for optimism in Buffalo, the division still goes through New England until someone proves otherwise.
4. Cam Newton is a superstar in the making: It took us a while to come around on this one, but Cam Newton is making believers out of even his biggest doubters after getting off to the best start of any rookie QB in NFL history.
   

   (Photo: CBSBoston.com)

   Newton has thrown for 1,386 yards and 5 TDs through four games, and has added 133 yards and 4 scores on the ground, making it look relatively easy along the way.  But as impressive as these numbers are, it’s Newton’s poise and presence on the field that is most mind-blowing to see from a rookie quarterback being thrown into the fire. So although the Panthers (1-3) still have a lot of holes ill, they know they have their leader for the next ten years in Newton.

5. Tim Tebow will start in Denver this season: Let’s face it – the Broncos just aren’t a very good football team right now. With the John Fox/John Elway era in it’s infancy, this is clearly a transitional period in Denver, and after a 1-3 start with Kyle Orton under center, the Broncos faithful are already clamoring for Tim Tebow. Billboards notwithstanding, if the Broncos continue to struggle, Fox has nothing to lose by giving the former Heisman trophy winner a shot. If nothing else, it will put to rest the questions, and give everyone a chance to see what Tebow can do in the NFL … and the Broncos can move forward with our without him.

Samir: Yes, this is horrible, this idea (Image via tumblr.com)

And a few more random early conclusions we’re not afraid to jump to:

• Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are making it look frighteningly easy so far. The defending champs are showing no signs of a hangover, and you can pencil them in as the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
• Jerry Jones will be dealing with questions about his boy Tony Romo all season, and the Cowboys will go as their manic QB goes (8-8)
• Not surprisingly, the Colts are screwed without Peyton Manning.

(Photo: Getty Images via BleacherReport.com)

Wow. Just wow.

After dominating the first half of Sunday’s Cowboys-Lions game and leading 27-3 in the third quarter, Tony Romo and the Cowboys figured out a new and exciting way to blow a football game. Romo threw two – count ‘em, TWO – pick six interceptions (3 total 2nd half INTs) that let the Lions back in the game and eventually defeat Dallas, 34-30. It was a stunning performance on both sides of the ball, as the Lions completed their second straight 20+ point comeback and improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1980.

Watch as Romo throws a gift-wrapped interception to his former teammate (and groomsman in his wedding) LB Bobby Carpenter who takes it to the house, and then follows that up with another INT to CB Chris Houston, who cuts the Lions deficit even further with a 56-yard return:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

With momentum firmly on their side, the Lions stormed back with a pair of late touchdown passes from Matt Stafford to Calvin Johnson. Watch as Megatron – whose talents Cowboys DC Rob Ryan had downplayed prior to the game – simply takes over at the end of the game:

As one of two remaining undefeated team in the league (NFC North rival Packers being the other), and with 8 consecutive wins (dating back to last season), I think it’s safe to say that this year’s Lions club is for real. At the other end of the spectrum, the Cowboys fall to 2-2 on the heels of the largest blown lead in franchise history, and people everywhere are wondering if Romo will be able to recover from his ever-increasing reputation as a choke artist.

But you just can’t fight a great story.  And Stafford’s gutsy comeback performance (and particularly the final play) last weekend against the Browns was a great story.  This “mic’d up” segment gives even more insight into the way this kid plays the game of football, including how he fought off the trainers to re-enter the game with a shoulder injury.  If you don’t want to follow Stafford into battle after watching this, I don’t know what to tell you.

Stafford has obviously got a long way to go. But it’s clear from this video that he has the intangibles you just can’t teach, and should make him a great QB in this league for a long time.

Hope you enjoy a laugh on this pre-holiday Tuesday:

[Via SBNation]

Live it, Live it!

Matt Stafford breaks away from a member of the Lions training staff to re-enter the game against the Browns (Photo: JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)

Heading into week 11 of the NFL season, one game stood out as the match-up that nobody wanted to see – the 1-8 Detroit Lions vs the 1-8 Cleveland Browns.  The worst teams from both conferences squaring off in a game that was barely even broadcast on TV in their home markets.  Feel the power. But by Sunday evening, this clash of the basement-dwellers stood out from the pack as the most competitive, action-packed game of the week.  And the ending was certainly the most memorable!

The Browns jumped out to a lead on the arm of Brady Quinn, who threw for three 1st quarter TDs, and had Cleveland feeling good early.  But rookie #1 pick Matt Stafford led the Lions on a gutsy comeback with 4 TDs of his own, giving them one last shot to win the game as time expired.

If  you don’t know what happened by now, you can watch the complete game highlights below … or fast forward to around 5:10 to see the big finish (game recap here):

Peter King describes exactly what happened on those final two plays , including what went down after Stafford seemingly threw a pick to end the game as time ran out.  But a pass interference penalty – along with an unnecessary timeout by Eric Mangini – allowed Stafford to re-enter the game after injuring his shoulder to throw the go-ahead score.  Against the wishes of Lions team doctors.

UPDATE: Stafford suffered an AC joint separation in his non-throwing (left) shoulder.  He is likely to miss Thursday’s Lions game against the Packers, but it doesn’t look like a long-term injury.

And while it’s yet another brutal loss for Cleveland and their fans (and TheDarkHorse may kill me for this post), the win marks the coming out party for Matt Stafford as a QB who now has earned the respect of his teammates, along with the city of Detroit.   Head Coach Jim Schwartz summed it up best after the game:

“His best play wasn’t the last play, or the second-to-last,” Schwartz told me. “His best play was eluding four of our medical guys to get back onto the field.”

By playing through the pain and carrying the team on his shoulders (literally), Stafford has given hope to a franchise that hasn’t felt that emotion since Barry Sanders left town. And that’s a pretty big accomplishment in and of itself.

The Browns 10-year rebuilding plan continues today!

And we are here to follow the action. After a dismal showing against Green Bay last Saturday, will the Browns have their act together today in Cleveland Browns Stadium? Will Eric Mangini‘s team be different than those coached by Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, or Romeo Crenell–or is this just more of the same?

Aspects of the game the Browns need to improve:

• Every aspect

There’s an incredible amount of attention on the QB battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, but the reality is that neither of these guys has separated from the pack. Neither has shown they can play consistent football week to week (or even practice to practice). The “quarterback controversy” here, in my opinion, is the fact that we’re going into the season for the eleventh time since the Browns return to the league WITHOUT a clear-cut starter–and minus a true leader at the position.

Here are two problems that suggest disaster for this team: (1) They cannot run the football; (2) They cannot stop the run. That’s the recipe for a painful, long season. This team that has to get tougher, smarter, and refuse to lie down. Winning or losing preseason games is not of core importance–but playing well, gaining confidence, and nailing down Mangini’s new system are critical.

Will the team get their act together today? We’ll post throughout the game, right after the jump…

• 4:16 p.m.: We are still hearing disturbing rumblings that Josh Cribbs may hold out starting Week One. That would be problematic: Josh is arguably the Browns only blue-chip player beyond Shaun Rogers. Throw Joe Thomas in there, I suppose (I’m not sure Braylon Edwards deserves the accolades at this stage–he needs to show up consistently).
• 4:19 p.m.:My favorite part about watching the Browns is that I’m not at work. But I’m convinced that a fleet of interns and secretaries from my office could put up 350 yards against the Browns defense.
• 4:20 p.m.:The game stream–which we’re downloading off the net, and streaming onto our TV–has just gone dead. This could be a real short game report.
• 4:21 p.m.: It came back on. We’re in L.A., streaming some bizarre channel out of C-Town, getting the lowdown on Northeast Ohio’s five-day forecast and local Taco Bell promotions.

Is Brady Quinn a quarterback--or just a male model playing a quarterback on TV? I am concerned.

4:30 p.m.: Bernie Kosar is announcing. People rip on him, but he’s honest. He lashed the team for their performance last week.

4:31 p.m.: I have a really bad feeling about the opener against Minnesota. I have learned to trust these bad feelings about the team, especially under the national spotlight.

4:33 p.m.: Game still hasn’t started. Yawn.

4:35 p.m.: Seventy-plus yard return by Josh Cribbs CALLED BACK BY A FLAG. Derek Anderson starts and hits rookie Mohamed Massaquoi for 20-plus yards; then hits Braylon inside the Lions 20, but Braylon’s out of bounds; now hits Cribbs downs to the Lions 25; and Furrey to the Lions 15–they’re passing relentlessly with Anderson in there. Anderson hands off to Jamal Lewis, who rumbles to the four. A brusing run. First and goal at the four and LEWIS BLASTS OVER LEFT GUARD FOR A TOUCHDOWN. Nice drive by the Browns. 7-0.

NOTE: THIS IS CLEVELAND’S FIRST TOUCHDOWN SINCE NOVEMBER 2008.

Here’s what the old Dawg Pound looked like:

4;46 p.m.: First pick in the NFL draft Matthew Stafford is PICKED OFF BY CB ERIC WRIGHT, who takes it back to the Detroit five. Nice work by the Browns defense on their home turf. Then Wright gets nailed for a celebration penalty. Mangini will speak with Wright about that. The Browns will now start at the Lions 20.

4:51 p.m.: Anderson still in. Incomplete to Edwards. Jamal Lewis gets stuffed at the line. Anderson scrambles to the Lions 15. The penalty killed them. This team cannot afford to “celebrate” and lose touchdown opportunities. So… Dawson nails a FG. 10-0.

4:55 p.m.: Some of you might recall Eric Wright’s scorching of the New York Football Giants last October:

4:56 p.m.: SHOULD WE RENEW JOSH CRIBSS CONTRACT? How about YES. He just took a punt return back 84 yards for a score. 17-0 Browns.

5:05 p.m.: The Browns shut down the Lions again (four straight three-and-outs) and now Anderson hits Braylon on a nice pass, and then throws deep to Massaquoi, who nets a pass inteference. Browns at the Lions 20. Jamal Lewis takes it for a few (he looks slow, but bruising). Browns have third and five. Anderson under center. Three receiver set. Andersen throws it away. Dawson comes in and hits the field goal. Browns 20-0 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

5:15 p.m.: Browns knock Stafford and the Lions off track again. The Browns look pretty good against a team that went 0-16 last season. They are tackling and playing with intensity–but, again, we’re up against a team that hasn’t won a regular season game since 2007.

5:20 p.m.: BRADY QUINN ENTERS THE GAME ON 3rd and 1 and gets sacked. Ouch. Not what he was hoping for. Anderson came in and lit it up. Quinn is going to have to generate points to make an impression today.

5:25 p.m.: Stafford completes a pass, but the receiver fumbles the ball and Hank Poteat of the Browns recovers it. Detroit challenges the call. And they win the challenge–Detroit keeps the ball. But ends up punting.

5:37 p.m.: Brady Quinn is back in. This is an important drive for him. And… Brady CONNECTS with rookie wideout Brian Robiskie on a 24-yard pass. Rookie James Davis is in at runningback. A lot of people are talking about Davis. A sixth-round pick who has lit up practice. He runs for a few yards. Then Brady connects on a 15-yard pass that’s called back for a false start. First bad penalty on offense tonight. Brady is composed, that’s one thing you have to like about him–but he can’t like the playcall here: a draw play to Davis on third and ten. The Browns punt. Not bad work by Quinn. Lively arm and good presence, but the drive dies.

The Browns have high hopes for rookie James Davis from Clemson.

5;41 p.m.: The Browns have mystified and shut down Matt Stafford. He’s thrown a pick, been rushed, missed open receivers, and been generally, well, a rookie quarterback. The Browns take over again with a few minutes left in the second quarter. Their defense has looked smart today. Tough and composed. Not as many terrible penalties. And a nice turnover early in the game.

5:44 p.m.: Brady Quinn completes to James Davis, but it’s killed by another penalty. The offense isn’t talented enough to make these stupid penalties. A handoff to James Davis for 14 yards. A nice burst and rumble off left tackle. On third and six, the Lions go offsides, so we’re looking at third and one. Brady hands off to Davis, who makes the yardage for a first down. Brady gets hit in the arm/hand on a long throw. He then throws to Jamal Lewis, but Jamal drops it. On third down, Brady hits Furrey, but it’s not enough. It was a sort of gutless screen pass on third and long–not an imaginative selection. Browns punt to Detroit’s 14.

5;51 p.m.: The Lions bring in Daunte Culpepper on offense. The bushy-haired Stafford stands quietly on the sidelines.

5:58 p.m.: The Browns defense is driving Detroit crazy. They aren’t showing much, but they’re pressuring Culpepper and covering receivers. They’ve stifled Detroit thus far. With 0:55 left in the half, Detoirt goes for it on fourth and one. The Browns STUFF the Lions RB, but a flag is thrown: holding offense. WOW. The Browns looked tough on that play (hey, when you’re a Browns fan, you take what you can get).

6:01 p.m.: The Browns have Derek Anderson back in to run the two-minute drill. (They put Brady in last week.) Derek completes a pair of nice passes to James Davis to the Browns 40 or so. Only 15 seconds left. They’ve got a long way to go. Anderson throws a tipped ball that’s picked off by Detroit and gives the Lions a chance to score. Yikes, not what Derek wanted–but I like Mangini testing him. PS – The Lions nail a long FG and score. 20-3 Browns at halftime.

6:19 p.m.: The start of the second half. I’m going to sit back and watch some of this. I can’t imagine too many people are relying on these updates to follow the game.

6:21 p.m.: I had an awesome bowl of speghetti and sauce during the first half. WAIT! The Browns just picked up a fumble and have the ball at the Lions 45. Who will enter as quarterback? (What I like is that a bunch of young players and rookies and Mangini imports are making a difference in this game. That said, we’re gonna’ need big plays and consistent performance to beat the Vikings in Week One. Still feel wicked strange about that game. I don’t like the whole Vikings vibe right now–and I don’t like a fresh Adrian Peterson in Week One rumbling down the sideline.

6:24 p.m.: Brett Ratliff is in. So is James Davis. I doubt we’ll see any more starters at this point. They hand the ball off three times to Davis. And punt. Not impressive.

6:28 p.m.: OK… I’m gonna’ sit back and watch this for a while.

6:55 p.m.: Rookie James Davis (photo below) takes a third-and-twelve carry for an 81-yard touchdown! 27-10 Browns. It’s been a long time since the Browns had a strong, young runningback. James Davis fell in the draft due to an injury at Clemson. We’ve seen a lot of players shine in camp and through the preseason, and then VANISH when the games counted. We will monitor the progress of JD.

Browns win 27-10.

Apparently the latest trend in NFL trading cards is to gather all of the newest entrants to the league together and make them do something stupid on camera.  Earlier this year we were treated to the Upper Deck NFL Rookie Touchdown Dance-Off.  Now, Topps is now getting into the game with the Topps NFL “Rookies Got Talent” Competition.

Here we see some of the highest-profile NFL rookies – including Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Kenny Britt & Knowshawn Moreno – show off their hidden talents . Most of these are pretty stupid, but check out the amazing display of hand speed by Giants WR Hakeem Nicks … I can only assume it’s a trick, but if not, my man’s got some ridiculous hand-eye coordination.

Meanwhile, while all this it taking place, 32 of 36 first round draft choices remain unsigned.  Ah, priorities.

“While we in no way condone Antonio’s decision to be in a nightclub in Manhattan less than two days before a game, we cannot understand the DA’s position that Antonio is subject to criminal charges. When this incident occurred, Antonio reacted out of concern for the health and well-being of Plaxico Burress. His first priority was to make sure Plaxico received proper medical attention for what very well could have been a life-threatening wound. There was no criminal intent on the part of Antonio, who was thrust into this predicament simply because he accompanied Plaxico that evening and because he made the decision to immediately take Plaxico to the hospital. We believe it is unwarranted for the DA’s office to press criminal charges against Antonio under these circumstances.”

By Ralph Vacchiano on July 28, 2009 2:57 PM | Comments (18)

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/2009/07/mara-charges-against-pierce-un.html#ixzz0MbjSzzia

Happy belated 4th of July! Especially to the blond in the pink top.

Things have sort of gotten away from us here at ReadandReact since around the 4th of July, when a blur of whiskey, fireworks and real life responsibilities stepped in to interrupt your regularly scheduled pointless NFL banter.  And for that, we’d like to apologize.

But let’s not kid ourselves. July is a particularly painful time for NFL news (we’re getting into Fantasy preview territory now), and since we won’t waste space on that attention whore who shall remain nameless, it’s been a little light on fodder for our cynical rants of late.

We’ll try to pick things up now that we’re heading into training camp, and there might be some semblance of actual football news.  Or not.  I mean, it’s not like we’re getting paid for this.  Get off our backs, okay?!?

Here’s your Friday Round-Up:

• NFL Draft Expands to 3 days in 2010:  First round to be broacast live on Thursday in primetime.  Second and Third rounds Friday night.  Fourth-Seventh on Saturday.  Hmmmm … so entire weekends will no longer go to waste?  Mixed feelings on this one, I gotta say.

• Good for Matt Stafford: I have no idea where the banner photo above is from (apparently taken on or around the 4th of July), but it’s nice to see the #1 draft pick is enjoying himself before his first NFL training camp begins. I mean, it’s all downhill for the poor bastard in Detroit.

• The T.O. Show premiered on VH1 this week, and it was just about the steaming pile we expected it to be (see this spot-on review from the Boston Herald). The latest “reality show” addition to the VH1 non-music video stable is a badly staged outlet for Owens’ unchecked ego, and it succeeds in revealing T.O. as a bigger child off the field than even imaginable.  He spends most of the show shirtless and being scolded by his publicists/friends/handlers, Mo’ and Kita (neither of whom, incidentally, were responsible for the famous “25 million reasons to live” quote during the T.O. overdose scare of 2006, like I had hoped).  They nag, he rolls his eyes and flexes … the highlight of the show is waiting to see whether or not Terrell ends up nailing his realtor.

Watch the awful highlight clip after the jump, and save yourselves from watching the show.

I give the T.O. show 3 episodes before it starts dividing the VH1 roster like a cancer.  At the first sign of bad ratings, Owens is going to throw Ricki Lake & the Charm School girls under the bus for being a poor lead-in. And I just can’t wait to see what happens when the egos of Bret Michaels and New York clash with T.O. in the VH1 cafeteria!!!

Maybe VH1 does know what they’re doing, after all.  Like a desperate GM bringing in T.O. to sell tickets, he could end up saving the network.  Or just lowering the bar for all of television as we know it.  Probably the latter.

In addition to getting their pictures taken for their trading cards, the rookies were challenged to perform their best Touchdown Dance, with the winner taking home an autographed Michael Jordan jersey.

Let’s go to the videotape:

If you disregard the fact that most of these would draw a 15-yard penalty for including props (and the fact that we’ve seen half of those before anyway), there were actually some decent moves in there.  Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno taking home the prize for his lumberjack celebration … I don’t know, I kind of liked Aaron Curry‘s, myself.