Howard Cosell had a field day with this guy's name. In 1972, a former Texas Longhorn kicker named Happy Feller took over for Saints kicker Charlie Durkee. Happy Feller. His head coach wasn't a very happy feller, given that ol' Hap only hit on 10 of 23 field goals as a Saint (and 16 of 43 for his career thanks to a lousy 1971 season in Philadelphia). But that name. Mister High Self Esteem has a place in Monday Night Football lore. He skies one which comes down at the ten to another happy feller who gets to give his team excellent field position.
It was a Winnie The Pooh day in Chicago, huh?
Never mind that 108-yard return, those field goal attempts being blown so far wide by the wind was the most amazing sight in that game.
So, is Heath Evans another Andy Johnson or another Josh Ashton?
Can the Colts run the table? Dan Marino got this right: "Jim Sorgi (Peyton Manning's backup) can beat the Cardinals!", assuming a Week 15 matchup which won't mean anything and the regulars getting rested.
Start sweating, 1972 Dolphins.
Nice try, Revs. Too much passing, not enough shooting.
How about them Vikes. Pick run back for a score. Punt run back for a score. Kickoff run back for a score. All in the same game. Never been done before in league history.
Nice to know that the Vikings have found new and different ways to score other than being on a boat.
After an emotional win last week, Kansas City came crashing back to earth in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, that injured Bills security guard was one cool cat. Heal up quick, big guy.
Geek of the week: Um, wha hoppen, Michael Vick? You had a 2-6 team in your crib. You had to get it done. Nice numbers don't always cut it in the NFL.
Patriots are on Fox this week, first of two appearances this week. That means you get to check out James Brown and his awesome pregame bunch.
Meanwhile, CBS got rid of Thurston Long, the only reason to watch that continually pitiful show.
Tampa Bay 36, Washington 35? That's like Sunday's MLS final turning out to be a 4-3 affair or something like that.
And if that two pointer fails, Jon Gruden would have been top geek.
You know the real Tedy Bruschi is back when you saw him get upended early in the game coming in on a blitz.
Denver looks like they are for real. And they'll stay real right up until they have to go to Indianapolis in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, no NFC team is going to want to go through Carolina in January.
The Saints are coming to Foxborough. Break out the films of that preseason loss, Coach Bill B.
Tom Coughlin was pretty disgusted at his Giants for surrendering all those long Vikings returns. But the reality was that his team was in it up to the end, and his team lost that game thanks to a clock-killing spike by Eli Manning which gave the Vikings time to kick the winning field goal.
So, herr kommandant, if you ordered that spike, you are the dumbkopf, not your players.
Back to school: Let's see UCLA pile up all those yards and points against their city rival. Then we'll be impressed.
Houston is heading towards the top pick in the 2006 draft. They already have David Carr. They don't need Matt Leinart. But that scenario still bears close watching.
From this typewriter: Dear Mr. Casserly: Keep David. Trade down and bring in a gold mine which can make the Texans a contender quick. Sorry it was so tough on you (3-6) when you took over as head football coach my senior year in high school. With Falcon pride, sincerely, Bob G.
You've got Reuben Droughns and a defensive-minded head coach. Trent Dilfer can be as bad as he likes.
Brian Billick would probably take Dilfer back in a second.
You might wonder, though it may not be fair to think so, if Herman Edwards' job may be in jeopardy in the Joisey swamps.
Maybe all the Jets need is a quarterback who isn't as brittle as the original manuscript of the Bill of Rights.
The Patriots need to make like Mick Jagger and get off Mike Cloud.
With all due apologies to David Halberstam, his new book entitled The Education of Bill Belichick has been obsoleted completely.
Why? Because the education of Bill Belichick is in the present tense, not the past tense.
Shaun Alexander is something else. But if given the choice, this writer likes that slick San Diego dude.
Remember him: Dave Whitsell was an original Saint back in 1967, and had the best season of his 12-year NFL career that season. He spent the last three of those 12 seasons with the expansion Saints, and was at the head of the class in that first year for New Orleans. He had a career best 10 interceptions in 1967, which tied for the league lead (with four others) that year, and set a franchise record that still stands to this day. He also made his only Pro Bowl appearance that season. Whitsell, a former Indiana Hoosier, retired after the 1969 season, but made an impression on all Saint fans which lasted a long time.
An impression that is more respected than Tom Benson's umbrella, that's for sure.
Nice panacea for a brother's funeral. Cowboys won one for Coach's little bro.
Meanwhile, how much worse can Donovan McNabb's season get?
Honk if you are convinced that Tom Brady's day of pain is inevitable instead of probable. It's been that kind of year, folks.
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