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The Schein Nine: NFL's weekly hot seat
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| Rod Marinelli and Andy Reid face varying levels of urgency to get back on the winning track this week. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images) |
I think Andy Reid is an excellent coach. He should have a lifetime gig in Philly in my opinion. But the natives are restless after the Bears loss. His every move, his play selection late in games, it's all been questioned.
I don't think it is hyperbole to call this a must-win game at home against a division foe with the Eagles already 0-1 in the best division in football.
2. Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben was heroic in the Steelers' comeback win against the Ravens on Monday night. Now, sans Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall because of injuries, Roethlisberger will have to do more of the same against the hated Jaguars on Sunday night. The Jaguars and Steelers have played some of the best, most physical primetime games in the last few years. The Jaguars have won three straight against the Steelers including the playoffs. The Jags' 9-0 win at home against Pittsburgh two years ago was unreal. Last year, the regular-season match-up produced a 29-22 Jacksonville win.
These two clubs are mirror images when you look at the commitment to the defense, the running game, and rosters full of players willing to run through a wall for coaches Jack Del Rio and Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh is still smarting over losing to the Jags, with visions of Dave Garrard's run dancing in everyone's heads.
3. Giants
New York is an unfathomable 4-15 after the bye week since 1990. This mark of futility has passed through three head coaches, from Dan Reeves to Jim Fassel to Tom Coughlin.
The Giants are in first place in the highly competitive NFC East. But they play Seattle on FOX this weekend without Plaxico Burress, who was suspended by the club for being AWOL from practice last week. I think Eli Manning has a level personality and the Giants won't be affected by the Burress distraction. The only way to prove that is to beat a banged-up Seattle squad.
4. Colts offense
Indy is 1-2 coming off of a bye week and the high-powered offense has been totally out of whack. They've had injuries across the board. There's been no chemistry. The running attack hasn't remotely gotten started. Tony Dungy tells us that the Colts spent a lot of time practicing during the bye week because of all of the above.
Peyton Manning is starting to round into shape. Marvin Harrison and Manning need to really hit the stride that made them an elite all-time combination. Indianapolis is in Houston this week. The crowd is going to be pumped up with the first game in Houston this season. The Texans' defensive line, led by Mario Williams, is stout. No excuses. It's time for Indy to be Indy.
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| Matt Cassel escaped criticism because New England's defense had its own glaring issues last time out. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images) |
5. Matt Cassel
With the unexpected way in which the New England defense got shoved around against the Dolphins, Cassel actually escaped a large amount of blame for the loss. Cassel held the ball too long, made bad decisions and frankly looked like a backup - unlike how he played against the Jets.
Randy Moss was a non-factor against the Fish. That simply cannot happen. New England needs to once again establish a deep passing attack. Even if Moss is covered, he must receive the ball to take advantage of his athleticism. Mike Nolan's defense is pretty solid but Cassel needs to step up, use Moss and Wes Welker, and make it happen.
6. Aaron Rodgers / Mike McCarthy / Ted Thompson
By now you know I am an Aaron Rodgers guy. But color me concerned with the health of his right shoulder. Rodgers is going to try playing against Atlanta, doing everything from taking an injection to wearing a harness.
You get even more concerned when you hear Rodgers say, "Listen, I want to play every game. I don't need that, 'Oh you've got to play because Brett played in 250 in a row.' I've played with some serious injuries before so that's personal pride. I don't need any extra fuel to play."
Rodgers shouldn't even be talking about Brett Favre's consecutive-games streak.
I defended McCarthy and Thompson having a couple of draft picks behind Rodgers because I thought Brian Brohm was a top-20 player in the draft. Matt Flynn has moved past him. Fair or unfair, this is all going to open up everyone in Green Bay to a lot of questions depending on the severity of Rodgers' injury, who plays for him and how well the backup plays.
7. Kurt Warner
The Cardinals quarterback was flat-out miserable in the first half against the Jets last week, turning the football over at an alarming rate. Forget about looking like the MVP with the Rams. Warner played like the quarterback we saw in New York with the '04 Giants.
Dick Jauron's undefeated Bills visit Arizona on Sunday. While the Bills are headed toward the playoffs and look incredibly solid in every phase, this is more of a must-win for the Cards playing at home. With consecutive losses on the road against the Redskins and Jets, Arizona and Warner missed two opportunities to make a statement and distance themselves from the competition in the NFC West.
And with Matt Leinart sitting on the pine, Warner is hardly entrenched at quarterback. Even if a banged-up Anquan Boldin doesn't go, Warner cannot afford another horrendous game.
8. Rod Marinelli
No more excuses for the Lions coach. Matt Millen is out. Bill Ford Jr. is making changes. Imagine this concept: Wins and losses actually matter. The Lions are home against the Bears this week. This is one of those games preseason that I circled in the win column for Detroit. Chicago has had two great wins in prime time and two difficult-to-swallow losses. You could easily make the case the Lions should win this game, right?
9. Broncos defense
A week after the Broncos defense got exposed against the lowly Chiefs, Mike Shanahan's head might explode if the Denver defense gets exploited by his old quarterback. Griese never lived up to the post-John Elway hype in Denver but has done a nice job for Jon Gruden's Bucs in his second tour of duty in Tampa. Questions about how good the Broncos actually are will dominate Denver if they drop a home game to a castoff.
Fantasy Land . . .
There was this one team in our SNY fantasy draft that I constantly ripped during the draft for being clueless. It made last week's game a must-win to save face. Thanks to a savvy Greg Olson pickup, team McShugganah is 3-1.
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