NFL Random Thoughts

The NFL ramblings are back after a one week hiatus. The Halloween booze cruise I attended physically prevented me from doing any writing last Sunday. I'm happy to be back... The Patriots are almost guaranteed to win their ninth (I count the ties in 2002 and 2008) AFC East championship of the decade with their win over the Dolphins yesterday. The Patriot defense played smart, tough football in stopping a Dolphin offense that relies on a variety of formations. The Dolphins still use the "Wildcat" and yesterday ran some option with rookie quarterback Pat White. Tom Brady had another solid game (25-of-37, 332 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and at the midpoint of his comeback season, looks to be on pace for another Pro Bowl season (2364 yards and 16 TDs). If the defense keeps coming up with big stops and the Pats keep rolling, Brady may sneak into the MVP discussion by December... The annual Patriots-Colts showdown is this Sunday. The Pats will enter Indiana with a 6-2 record while the hosts sport the AFC's only undefeated record at 8-0. The Colts will be favored but I have to give the edge in this one to the Pats. The Colts defense has lost their two best players in the secondary - Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson - to season ending injuries. Brady should be able to pick apart a diluted Colts pass defense and expect monster games from Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Ben Watson in a key New England victory... The Chiefs have wisely cut ties with former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson after his criticisms of coach Todd Haley on Twitter. Johnson is no stranger to negative publicity but I would not be against the Patriots bringing in Johnson for the remainder of the 2009 season as insurance for their backfield. The Pats are already down Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris, leaving Laurence Maroney as the primary ballcarrier. An injury to Maroney would be a crippling blow without a viable option like Johnson to turn to... Has any team needed a bye-week as bad as the Jets? I expect Rex Ryan's boys to finish the season strong and compete for the playoffs now that they have had some time to fix their problems... Here is this week's edition of the "Super Seven": 1. New Orleans Saints (8-0) 2. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) 3. New England Patriots (6-2) 4. Indianapolis Colts (8-0) 5. Dallas Cowboys (6-2) 6. Denver Broncos (6-1) 7. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) Enjoy Hines Ward tonight...