NFL 2012 Season Week 11 Picks

The Jets have to be the most unhinged franchise in the NFL right now. It seems like it's straight from the all the way to the bottom. For all the talk about the Jets and how everybody, including some of the Jets players, thinks Tebow is terrible, you know who isn't talking? Tebow. Now I'm not trying to defend the player, but for all the fuss about him, it seems like people are so uncomfortable with him because of some perceived indifference that it's almost as bad as having a grumpy Terrell Owens in a losing team locker room. The Jets are 3-6. Tim Tebow is not your problem. Besides, how much worse could they do if they started Tebow this week? They've already lost 3 straight! I'm not a Tebow fan, but what I do see is a franchise that seems to jump on any and all distractions that could possibly find their way in to a lockerroom. I'd be embarrased as a Jets fan if this is what the players on my team were concerned about. You all suck, Jets players, stop pointing a finger at your backup qb.

I can't help but enjoy what is going on though; watching the Jets self destruct is good theater theatre.

Well, the Jets are almost in the same position the Broncos are in with their fans, and to some extent the media. In a way they can't lose. If Tebow does well, he does well. If the team is worse with Tebow then that will shut people up about playing him. If he's really bad it might even rejuvenate feelings on Sanchez.

Further proof that this is no longer the same America. Take your Socialist European spellings back across teh Atlantic!

The Packers are 11-1 against the Lions in the last 6 years under McCarthy.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/49285/twitter-double-coverage-ap-vs-manning

This is an interesting debate to have. Who should win come back player of the year so far, Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson? Both are having statistical seasons that would qualify for a performance award. The question I suppose then would be who more to come back from. AP tore his ACL, missed 1.5 games last season, and came back by opening week this year. Manning endured serious questions about whether he was ever going to play again, got cut from his team of 14 years, started out with a new team, and is leading the league in passer rating. It's hard to argue against either one. The argument that seems to be most convincing that Manning had more to come back from, since his injury seemed to put his entire career in jeopardy. AP came back quickly, but it's not unusual for a RB to come back from an ACL injury; the surprising part, however, is how quickly he returned and his top of the league performance upon returning.

Some of the debate on the link seems to center around who is ultimately having the better year, and I'm not sure that's the right question to be asking for this discussion. Both are having really good, near career type numbers. The question isn't who's a better player this year, but rather since both players have come back and are having excellenet seasons, which comeback is more impressive.

I won't make a call, because I fear my own bias might influence my decision. Both players are in the middle of comeback seasons for the ages.

The Jets continually have these types of problems, but I think the team itself is only one of two main factors. "Stories" like this really aren't disseminated without someone to disseminate them. It's not so much a news story as it is a story that was broadcast as news. New York has more media members (I assume) than any other market in the US who are focused on little more than finding, if not manufacturing, this type of gossip masquerading as sports news.

I read an article recently, written by a sports journalist, about how sports journalists need to stop basing stories on anonymous sources. And probably more to the point, people need to stop speaking anonymously on stuff like this. This isn't a whistleblower story, it's not national security, the source doesn't need protection from anyone...you get the point. But now Tebow (or whomever the target of the anonymous source is) has to give a response and defend himself against some unknown person who would rather talk behind his back and is given that luxury by some hack reporter.

[I know this isn't the biggest tragedy in the world, and yes, I'm glad I live in a country where the player and the reporter are free to say and print this crap and plenty of other crap along with it if they choose. But why choose that? Can we at least pretend that we're not just a bunch of middle schoolers gossiping about who likes who and who said what?]

One of my first thoughts when I heard that some nameless faceless teammate said Tebow was terrible was pretty much, "so?" I mean, did anyone think that on a team of 53+ players, there wasn't someone who thought that? I could be wrong, but I'd feel comfortable guessing that someone feels that way about Sanchez too. I bet about half the teams in the league have a guy who feels that way about their starter, not to mention how many feel that way about their backup. But, not every team is in NY, not every franchise has a reputation for loudmouth quotes, and not every backup qb is Tebow, so somehow it only makes sense that every program on espn gives a prominent place in their rundown to this bit of non-information. Meanwhile, good luck seeing anything more than a final score of something like a Timberwolves game, no matter how many highlight-worthy plays it might have had. And consider it a good day if the score is reported anytime sooner that the Z block of the show.

p.s. here's the article I had previously read, since it's sort of a source for some of these ideas I guess. It's actually from before the Tebow "terrible" incident but not long before it. (Also it's written by Dan Wetzel, who does not use his Yahoo! column space to trash Scott or any of his other former hockey teammates.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--anonymous-and-mean-spirited-quotes-and-player-polls-in-nfl-need-to-stop.html#more-id

I was just thinking about this the other day. Also of note, they're both not just comeback player of the year candidates, but actual MVP candidates. Which would be interesting since Buster Posey just completed that double this year. If one of them does that and also wins they Super Bowl, they could pull even with Posey.

I think you might have to give the edge to Manning if for not other reason than a more literal take on "comeback". The amazing thing about Peterson's season is/was his superhuman ability to barely miss any time. Missing time (or a down year) is sort of built into the award.

Good bye Mason Crosby. I cut you from my fantasy team weeks ago, Packers should've followed my lead.

10_4 is a losing record that's crazy that just saids everybody had good picks if only i wldnt of pickd colts i wld have perfect picks for the week but i got one wrong man dam!!!!

6 people with 13-1 records, maybe we should all go to Vegas? I'm game...