Welcome to the Around The NFL End Around, a weekly look back at the world of the National Football League. Dan Hanzus serves as your guide.
It was a good week for ...
1. Jim Harbaugh: We keep hearing how Harbaugh has lost his way, but why does it feel inevitable his team will be playing in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 18?
2. Robert Griffin III: The Redskins' QB has returned to practice and the guy who was supposed to push him into the background has morphed into a Human Turnover Machine.
3. Julius Thomas: The Broncos' tight end has nine touchdowns in five games. He's on pace to shatter Randy Moss' single-season TD record. It really is so f------ easy.
It was a bad week for ...
1. Rex Ryan: The Jets' coach has had a lot of tough losses in his time in Gotham. But Thursday's 27-25 heartbreaker against the Patriots made no sense. The Jets became the first team in NFL history to rush for 200 yards, hold the ball for 40 or more minutes, commit zero turnovers and still lose. Fireman Ed weeps in his fortified underground bunker.
2. Eric Dickerson: My main takeaway from Dickerson's episode of *A Football Life* is he was the NFL's version of Alex Rodriguez in the 1980s. Crazy talented. Prodigious stats man. Both confident and insecure. Not particularly beloved by teammates or any fanbase.
3. Victor Cruz:Antrel Rolle said this week he couldn't get Cruz's screams out of his head after the star Giants wideout tore his patellar tendon on Sunday night.
What The What?
I'm sure tattoo artists get bizarre requests all the time, but I imagine the guy who inked Austin Pettis must have paused when the Rams wide receiver requested the original logo of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on the back of his neck. On a somewhat related note, I was in a bar in Hollywood a few years back and the guy who played Adam Banks in the movie was my bartender. Don't let your babies grow up to be struggling actors.
Tweet of the week
Finally, we have some clarity in the Brady v. Manning debate. Meanwhile, it's completely logical that Mike McCarthy and Jim Caldwell bring up the rear here. Question: If you had to spend a week in an electricity-free log cabin and had the bunk partner choice of McCarthy or Caldwell, who do you go with? Yes, it is understood that either option likely ends with a Jack Torrance-level psychotic break.
The future is now
I remember being a kid in the 80s and early 90s and being fascinated by any TV show or movie that featured camera phones in the future. "Oh, the possibilities!" Young Dan bubbled. I was filled with the same sense of wonder when CBS dropped their new field-goal technology on us on Thursday night. Jim Nantz calmly explained we'll now know exactly how far a field-goal would have traveled if it didn't collide with the screen behind the uprights.
Just think back to all the times Dan Dierdorf bellowed, "THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD FROM 60, GREG!" and you yelled back, "Shut up, Dierdorf, we'll never know for sure."
Well ... now we'll know.
Where do you stand on the Raiders' brand?
I had to include this audio clip (first seen on Deadspin) of two Arizona radio guys nearly throwing down live on the air while arguing whether the Raiders are still a relevant brand amongst the kids after years of ineptitude. The underlying crux of the argument appears to go back to one terrifyingly deep-throated guy not liking Twitter.
My favorite moment:
This was deeply embarrassing for everyone involved. I loved it.
Let's invade Matthew Stafford's personal life!
That was fun!
Quote of the Week
"Internet courage is like a Cover 2 corner. When you got a safety over the top, you feel better about yourself."
-- Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, beautifully explaining why he decided to quit Twitter
Villain of the Week: Cold-hearted Millennial Woman In Eagles Jersey
Here's a memorable lede from NBC Philadelphia:
Things started off innocently enough for Sonny Forriest Jr., a one-legged Vietnam veteran often plays music before Eagles and Phillies games ...
"There were some friends who were partying with the leg, then they put it back," he said.
Things took a turn when Forriest Jr. was approached by a twenty-something woman dressed in Eagles gear.
"She jumped in my lap," Forriest Jr. said. "She gripped my leg and I didn't even know it. I looked down and she took my leg! Then she disappeared! A young lady came up, snatched my leg off my chair and took off!"
They recovered the leg a day later on a damn train. Come on, America.
Until next time ...
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the Patriots' thrilling win over the Jets and previews every other Week 7 game. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
