O'Malley's Tallies: Week 10 -- Week of the Quarterback

With the Patriots on bye this week, this was the only week I could guarentee Tom Brady wouldn't be in the running for a spot on the stud list! Instead of a lot of hype surrounding the Patriots run at perfection, much of the focus was aimed at the division showdown in the Meadowlands with Dallas coming to face the Giants. While the Giants all week have tried to downplay the fact that many of their wins have come against some of the NFL's worst (including my Dolphins who now stand as the lone team without a win...WOW!), the team clearly didn't come to play as Romo and Co. went on to the victory and a big lead in the NFC East. As always, I bring you the rest of the NFL's highs and lows in the Week 10 Edition of "O.T's"....

STUDS

1. Ben Roethlisberger – Playing in a city with such a strong blue collar, working class mentality, Big Ben is quickly starting to embody everything that the city of Pittsburgh stands for. Despite an early double digit deficit to Romeo Crennel’s Browns on Sunday, Roethlisberger was very resilient and a man of his word when he told Coach Tomlin at the half that he would bring home the W for the team. After a sub par first half for the Ohio native, Ben had a monster second half against Cleveland, throwing for two TD’s and running for another. With continued play like this, one can argue that #7 looks to be the jewel of the 2004 quarterback class.

2. Brett Favre – Is there anyone honestly that loves playing the game of football more than #4? Each and every week, Favre is running down the field with a huge smile on his face, meeting one of his many weapons in the endzone for another touchdown celebration. This Sunday proved to be no different, as the league’s all time leading touchdown passer went nuts against the Vikes! On the day, Brett completed over 70% of his passes, threw for 351 yards and three scores in the 34-0 rout. In addition, a QB rating of over 115 certainly doesn’t hurt either…

3. Selvin Young – After Travis Henry was declared inactive before the Bronco’s game Sunday in K.C., Selvin Young was given his first starting nod of his young career. Despite playing in front of one of the league’s most difficult atmospheres at Arrowhead Stadium, Young did absolutely nothing to disappoint like a typical Broncos running back should. For the afternoon, the former Longhorn carried the pigskin 20 times for 109 yards (including a 20 yard touchdown scamper in the 3^rd quarter), caught 3 balls for 20 yards, and helped lead his club to a must win on the road.

4. Kurt Warner – If I going to criticize a man when he does poorly I better be able to pay homage to him when he does well. This definitely applies to Kurt Warner, who after a putrid performance last week bounced back to beat the red hot Detroit Lions at home on Sunday. All in all, Warner threw for 259 yards and three scores against only one interception in the Cards 31-21 win in Glendale. With such great young talent around him each week, it is amazing that games like this don’t happen more often..

5. Donovan McNabb – Despite a lot of distractions for the team lately regarding the legal troubles of head coach Andy Reid’s two sons, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles went out on Fed Ex Field on Sunday and looked extremely efficient. Even though the playoff hopes of the team may be dwindling away, the Birds and McNabb went into the Nation’s capital and threw all over an overrated Redskins secondary. The final stat line for D-Mac ready 20-28, 251 yards, 4 TD’s, and a 138.5 passer rating. With many in Philly wondering if both McNabb and Reid will return next season, it was refreshing to see the two embrace afterwards on the sideline in a move that D-Mac says was filled with “A lot of love.”

DUDS

1. Adam Vinatieri – THE THREE GUARENTEES IN LIFE: DEATH, TAXES, AND ADAM VINATIERI MAKING GAME WINNING FIELD GOALS! Well, um, that was until late Sunday night. In a shocking turn of events, Mr. Clutch went 0-2 on his field goals attempts, including missing a 29 yard field goal to win the game for his ballclub with less than two minutes to go. While it is far from panic time in Indy, one has got to wonder why A.V. has missed three field goals in the past two weeks…

2. Minnesota Vikings – Some things don’t add up. After THUMPING the Chargers last week in a dramatic and record setting day for Adrian Peterson, the Vikes went out and put up a donut in a 34-0 loss to Brett Favre and the Pack. I guess that “Not for Long” acronym really does apply to the N.F.L.

3. Peyton Manning – Despite setting a career high in attempts and throwing for a boat load of yards Sunday night vs. the Bolts, Manning and his six interceptions were downright ugly. A first round bye that seemed to be a lock only a few weeks ago is definitely getting a lot tighter now as the Colts hit their annual mini rut with two straight losses.

4. Cedric Benson – Normally I would never ever pick on a player that scores a touchdown in a game but when it comes to Cedric Benson, I am definitely going to make an exception. While he did gain over 70 yards on Sunday, it took him 29 carries to do so against one of the league’s worst rushing defenses. As his yards per carry continue to plummet each week and the word “bust” begins to get brought up, the former top 5 overall pick may soon start getting compared to the former bear running back Mr. Curtis Enis. Ouch!

Thanks as always to my faithful readers! Until next time!!

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