1.       Does the emergence of the Garcon and Collie take away from the legacy of Marvin Harrison or does it add to the legacy of Peyton Manning even more?  Not really.  I think, if you go back over the body of work, one will find that Marvin Harrison was the best receiver in the league in a period from about 1999 to 2006.  That is a period of time when some great receivers played great ball in the league and he was consistently the best.  His production over his career came despite constant defensive attention.  His impact on the team was always positive even when he had problems it didn't cause a problem for the team.  His highlight real is breathtaking.  He won a championship.  He set records.  If anything detracts from his legacy it is his desire to keep under the wire, not promote himself indulgently, and how those aspects have affected the way he is portrayed.  I think his skill set built his legacy and both are solid.  If people don't remember him it is probably because he didn't spend enough time marketing himself.  Look at it this way.  The emergence of Reggie Wayne in 2003 did not prevent Marvin from having amazing years in 03, 04, 05, or 06.  Indeed, the prolific nature of Harrison probably helped Wayne develop in such a swift fashion as I imagine the attention Wayne draws (or Clark) has done for Collie and Garcon.  Has Wayne's greatness detracted from Harrison's?  Did Stallworth detract from Swann?  No, I think Marvin's reputation is solidified.  Beyond that, we can't say that the way Peyton plays now detracts from Marvin then.      

2.       Will Joseph Addai ever average more than 4 yards a carry again in his career?  Tough.  He has games where he gets it up over 4 but over the course of a season I think THIS SEASON is his last chance.  He is healthy and has fresh legs (supposedly).  The big reason that I think the answer is NO is because of Edge James.  When Edge was with us, he put up a lot of numbers late in games when the Colts had the lead and they simply turned the ball over to Edge and he put the game away.  Who is our back late in games now?  Who is our closer?  Who do we send into the breach to crack eggs?  Donald Brown.  If Addai wants more than 4 he has to get it in the first two quarters of every game. 

3.       Is Dallas Clark a Hall of Famer?  As a tight end or wide out?  You know, this is a good question because it makes people see how a tweener player can be adapted if the skill set matches the game.  Dallas Clark has real speed.  A lot of folks miss that.  He can run past almost any backer and therein lies the greatness of his game.  He fits the Colts game because he can transition the spots because of his speed.  He can play a tight end and he can split out and you don't have to huddle or sub a guy in.  Because of that, he will have a spot in Manning's read and because of THAT he will have numbers to make the Hall at wither tight end or wide out.  People have had trouble with tweeners before.  Look at how Alstott was underutilized, look at how the Saints have had trouble adapting Reggie Bush.  Dallas Clark could have been just a regular tight end on some team that ran three wide or two tight end as a base.  On the Colts, when any and all formations are on the table with a QB who is so utterly capable of seeing the angle that wins, the sky is the limit for someone with this kind of athleticism. 

4.       Can the Colts defense hold Chris Johnson to less than 200 total yards this weekend?  I don't see why not.  He is a great back, but he is not being used the way he should.  If you have LenDale White, and he can move the ball between the tackles, why not put Johnson (who runs 4.next to nothing) on the outside as a receiver?  Get those backers looking in two different directions.  This is a team that has trouble putting things together right now.  Putting Johnson in the pass pattern would be a good way to keep the Colts on their heels.

5.       Biggest matchup of the Colts/Titans game?  Dallas Clark on Keith Bullock would be a popular choice but it isn't the right one.  Dave Stewart on Robert Mathis is going to be the one.  The Titans are in a fight for their very lives.  They HAVE TO WIN THIS GAME and that means they have to keep Kerry Collins on his feet and they have to give him time.  Mathis is a lion in the tall grass.  Dave Stewart better eat his Fruit Loops.

6.       What the Hell happened to Darren McFadden?  He got drafted by the Raiders and (rightly so) believed that God had forsaken him.

7.       There are five teams without a win in the NFL. Who is going to be the last to win a game this season?  I thought it was 6.  Since Carolina and Tampa play each other its really only four and they have a chance to split so let's call it three.  Of the remaining teams I think Cleveland is the team that has the least functional idea of what it is doing.  It is in a tough division and has psychological problems on a scale large enough to affect the entire franchise. 

8.       How close are Vince Young and Matt Leinart to seeing some playing time?  Well, the Titans are in no position to go with Vince Young this weekend.  If you put him against the Colts pass rush you are asking for trouble.  The Titans are playing for their season tonight, but if they lose Young may be in the game next week.  Has anyone ever believed from what they see in the preseason that Leinart is a viable option to Warner?  I know the Cardinals have not had the opening they wanted, but the wheels aren't coming off the wagon.  Their losses are against the Niners, a tough divisional opponent that is dramatically improving, and the Colts, arguably the best team in the League.  They will need to win their division to get into the Playoffs and that is not outside the bounds of reality.  Everybody should settle down.  I think the bigger question for Arizona is why they were so enamored with a QB with a personality like Leinart's when they could have had a DT like Haloti Ngata or backers like Ryans or Greenway.  If you are going to draft your "QB of the Future" his behavior needs to be marginally better than Kyle Orton.  So, Young is close and Leinart is not. 

9.       Has Kristin Bell supplanted Natalie Portman as Cobra's celebrity crush? If so, why?  She has and perhaps rightfully so.  The only redeeming element to Veronica Mars was the supremely honest and nuanced performance of Bell.  Portman has many credits to her name, appears to be intelligent, and has acting chops that I can appreciate though I can only say that she made the show for me in Where the Heart Is.  She was very good in that.  I have trouble framing Portman in Jack Cobra's life, though.  Portman's distractions and politics are going to be issues that (if not more high-minded) are going to be outside the scope of what Jack Cobra is willing to care about.  I don't think that is the same for Bell, who strikes me more as a girl with a real mid-west sense of humor and a homebody.  NEWS ALERT:  For all of you ladies with melting crushes on Jack Cobra, he is a creature of habit and a homebody.  Anthropologically speaking he is incredibly uninteresting.  On a weekend it is up to sweatpants to Fruit Loops to couch to warm Pepsi to nap to treadmill to couch to bed.  The only real curveball is a possibility of another bowl of Fruit Loops somewhere between warm Pepsi and bed.  This will not satisfy Portman, Bell could be on board with it.  Cobra recognizes this and leans to Bell.   

10.   Team that scores the fewest points this weekend?  Oakland.

5 Comments

Cobra said

You make a very good point in #2 and I would be curious to see who is/has been the best RB during the 2nd half of games in the NFL and its history. Outside of Brandon Jacobs, I can't think of a RB currently in the NFL that I fear getting 15 carries in the 2nd half of a ballgame.

#3.....9 more catches for 77 yards. I don't know where he ranks historically but it just feels like he should be getting up there in the tight end category.

I was hoping for a little more on #6 like is he missing holes, is he not running hard?? Maybe it's just that he's on a horrible team like you said?

#8....VY was 0-3 last night, bango!!!

#9....I get out on the weekends! You know, Bed, Bath and Beyond....Home Depot. I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time.

#10....Jacksonville with the goose egg. Extremely surprising to do against Seattle.

October 12, 2009 8:17 AM | Reply

Bruce Paine said

On #6: I have only seen them once this year but it was enough. With the talent on that defense you should be able to do something. Anything really. Look at it this way. The Raiders are near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed. Why? Because their offense cannot move the ball. The defense is on the field all the time. They average giving up about ten minutes of possession a game. They do that because they cannot make first downs and their DTs are terrible. While they have completely blow drafts (they took Russell with Peterson and Thomas on the board) key points of the team has eroded and the front office is so horribly screwed that D2 coaches are passing on NFL jobs. Shit, Dungy said the other night on FNA that Oakland made Vick an offer before Philly did and he told him to pass. HE COULD HAVE PLAYED THERE AND DUNGY TOLD HIM TO PASS.

#10: Yeah, I thought you handed me a layup with that one, NY going into Oakland and all, but I missed it.

October 13, 2009 9:46 PM | Reply

mcbias said

Um...Cobra and I have the same taste in women?! I'm surprised. Yes, was a big fan of Natalie for a long time...yes, noticed Bell about a year ago, also became a big fan...ok, this is weird, I'm not going to think about this anymore.

October 14, 2009 3:04 AM | Reply

Jack Cobra replied to Bruce Paine's comment

I heard someone say last season that the Raiders front office in the 1970's was working like it was the new millenium and now that we are in the 2000's they are working like it's the 1970's!

We might need to do this every week?

October 14, 2009 10:45 AM | Reply

James@cereal bowl said

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January 23, 2010 6:50 AM | Reply

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