Monday Night Blah-Blah

1. What Did I Just See? - I know that I stated earlier that I thought that the Monday Night game would now show us the best team in the NFL at the end of the week. After watching the Carolina Panthers dismantle the Bucs' defense, it's hard to make the argument that they're not. With Steve Smith as an electric weapon in the passing game, and the running game of DeAngelo and Stewart (170 per in their last five games, 4-1) tells me that they can win in January. I still don't trust this team because of several experience variables, but they're style is a mirror image of the G-Men.

2. A Tale of Two Cities - After watching the first half of both the Jets/49ers & Seahawks/Pats, I got the feeling like this was the week New York would play with the urgency they so direly needed. The end result reassured me that being a Jets fan is a light form of masochism. The Patriots were able to drag themselves out of the funk that was their first half, and the Jets were time warped back to last weekend when they could not put together a drive, nor get the 49ers (Yes, those 49ers) off the field. The showings of the past two weeks not only lead me to believe that the Jets will not win the division, but will lose on the final week of the season to the Dolphins to get removed from the playoffs entirely.

3. With, or Without You - Two weeks after the turmoil universe exploded on Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles, they've rebounded nicely against two playoff bound teams. While the Thursday night win against the Cardinals can be securely contributed to McNabb's performance, he was little reason for their success on Sunday. Not to say that Kevin Kolb could have stepped up and made those plays (especially the 3rd & 5 run to keep their last offensive drive alive), but this team will be hoisted on the oft injured shoulders (or legs) of Brian Westbrook. The shifty back provided an unimaginable spark to the Eagles offense, and while watching the game, I thought that he is the best player that I've ever watched in space. I know that Steve Smith and Reggie Bush are his contemporary counterparts in that department, but I'll take a healthy Brian Westbrook any day.

4. Caged-Bird Song - The Ravens Sunday night victory in the Beltway Battle reiterated two points that I've thought for a while; A.)I hate Willis McGahee. Most of this comes from having him in my fantasy lineup for the majority of this down year, but there is nothing about him that strikes me as a winner. I know, it's cheap. B.)Ed Reed, not Ray Lewis, is the best player to play on the Ravens defense in the past decade. Gather up game footage of the times Reed has missed a tackle, an assignment or did not return a turnover for a touchdown and it will last roughly a minute. He is absolutely that good and is as big of reason as any that the Ravens have the opportunity to sit tied atop the AFC North after Sunday's match up with the Steelers.

5. 8-8 (And Heartbreaks) - The BCS computers will not be the only one's receiving hated looks for doing it's job this January. The AFC West leading Denver Broncos got to the eight-win mark on Sunday against KC, but with the Panthers, Bills and Chargers left to play they could win their division and make the playoffs with the seventh best record in the AFC. Two AFC East teams, Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Indy will be left out of the playoff while the Broncos keep playing into the night. This is certainly not the same uproar as the BCS, but I would hate to try to console a fan of the 9-7 team who is left out watching the (potentially) 8-8 AFC West team in the playoffs.

So we're on to Week 15, and this is the time that I truly get sad over football. It's an unhealthy lifestyle, regardless I already start feeling the longing for next September. So despite my spilled milk syndrome, here is to hoping that we have yet another fantastic week of football and to all those like me, please: Do something productive on Saturday now that college football is done! It's tough but trust me - You're friends miss you.