Week 14 Thoughts From the NFL - Part 1

This week, the Patriots assert themselves as the best in the NFL, the Chargers had their best weekend in football after they got manhandled by the Raiders, Minnesota's problems kept getting worse on Sunday and last night, and later i'll describe who's in trouble with three weeks left in the season and who will make it. But first, let me get to the big story of Week 14:



* As if the New York Jets had enough problems to worry about (Mark Sanchez throwing 5 INT's in his last three games, Braylon Edwards dropping catchable balls, the team getting steamrolled by Tom Brady in Week 13 and now getting punked by Chad Penne in Week 14) but now they have 'dirty cheaters' to add to their problems. Sal Alosi was fined and suspended by the League on Tuesday for intentionally tripping over Dolphins player Nolan Carroll. Today, we learned that the trip seen 'round the world wasn't just a coincidence.

Sal Alosi tripped up when he told the New York Jets his side of the story.

Now, the embattled assistant coach could be looking to save his job.

Alosi, New York’s strength and conditioning coach, was suspended indefinitely by the team Wednesday after he acknowledged that he told five inactive players to stand next to each other for a punt return, during which he tripped a Miami Dolphins player.

“As we continued our investigation, we discovered some new information,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a conference call from the NFL owners meetings in Dallas, “and the players at the Miami game were instructed by Sal to stand where they were to force the gunner in the game to run around them.”

Not only did Alosi trip over a player...he asked 5 of his own guys to help him cheat. Of all the bitch moves one can make in the NFL, this is probably as low as you can go. Good on the Jets organization to indefinitely suspend this punk ass.

* After San Diego got the ass-kicked by Oakland a second time last week, last Sunday's divisional match up vs the Kansas City Chiefs was a must-win, do-or-die type game, a game I was sure the Chargers wouldn't win, because KC just doesn't make that many mistakes over the course of the season (credit Todd Haley for getting his boys primed and ready every single week). Then Matt Cassel had an emergency surgery to remove his appendix, and presto!, the Bolts shutout KC 31-0. Two things: 1.) The running game between Darren Sproles, Mike Tolbert, and Ryan Matthews rushed for 207 yards total. Where was this kind of attacks when we were facing the Raiders last week? The Bolts running games was non-existent as they ran for 21 total rushing yards vs. Oak-town. 2.) The Chiefs cannot be this terrible without Cassel leading the way. To put in perspective how bad they played - The Chiefs average in rushing yards per game is 165.4, the most in the NFL. Sunday's game? They rushed the ball for a grand total of 48 yards. Combined total yards that afternoon was 67 and only 5 first downs. If the Chiefs don't get back Cassel vs. the Rams on Sunday, they could be well on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

* Watching New England's embarrassing playoff loss to the Ravens last year, I thought that the Belechick dynasty had come crashing down...finally. I was wrong. Dead wrong. The team everyone is afraid to face in the playoffs is primed and ready to grab one more Lombardi trophy to an already legendary era in their history. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are back, and they've crushed both the Jets 45-3 last Monday Night and the Bears on Sunday 36-7 on a snowy day in Foxbrough. Damn.