MMQB Review: Peter Warns Us About Brett Favre Hype Week

The World Series matchup has now been set with the Philadelphia Phillies playing the New York Yankees. More importantly, it is Monday and Peter King has posted his MMQB. Will it have thoughts about the upcoming World Series like, "This CC Sabathia kid is pretty good!" or "I don't know where this Cliff Lee guy came from but I haven't seen pitching this good in my lifetime(which is actually the last 5 years)." We can only hope Peter chimes in on the World Series early and often. Before that, let's see which games Peter paid attention to this week in the NFL.

Seven storylines for a weird Week 7, when rock-bottom teams found a way to get worse, England hosted New England, the Saints blew away what I thought was a good defense,

Well if Peter thought the Dolphins had a good defense then this truly was a surprise. Obviously Peter being an expert at making predictions and all, if his opinion is wrong it should come as a surprise to everyone. Peter's pick of the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl is working out so well and all...

Norv Turner survived,

I wasn't aware he had been kidnapped.

the amazing Miles Austin carried the Cowboys again

Nothing against Miles Austin, but can we leave the word "amazing" for other events in the world that don't have anything to do with the ability of a person to play football well? Curing cancer, being in a triathlon while only having one leg, or the discovery of a new drug that will cause sportswriters to not use hyperbole...those are all amazing things. Miles Austin playing well on Sunday, is not so much "amazing."

You get a number like Pittsburgh's 3.90 last year by the kind of D the Steelers played Sunday against one of the game's explosive attacks. The Vikings can pass (Brett Favre), run (Adrian Peterson) and return (Percy Harvin) as a combo platter better than any other team in football.

I don't hate the Vikings but notice when Peter mentioned they could pass the ball well he only mentioned the team's quarterback and not any of the receivers as related to being explosive and catching passes? There is a reason for that. I know Brett Favre has really helped the Vikings passing game, I just don't think of them as an "explosive" offense when it comes to passing the ball. Maybe at some point I will change my mind, but not yet.

The Steelers have had 40, 50, who knows how many, of these games over the years. Tight in the fourth quarter, and the defense just does something. Or more than one something. Minnesota had a sure touchdown nullified midway through the fourth quarter when Vikings tight end Jeff Dugan roll-blocked a Steelers rusher and was called for tripping.

I think what Peter is saying is what makes the Steelers defense so great is how they benefit from poor calls by the officials. Other teams may not take full advantage of the fact the officials missed this call, but the Steelers gritty, blue collar defense knows EXACTLY what to do when the officials cheat for them.

On third-and-goal from the eight, Favre got strip-sacked by left end Brett Keisel, and in rushed linebacker LaMarr Woodley and seven of his closest defensive friends.

Brett Favre fumbled? No way. I don't believe that Favre would fumble in the 4th quarter of a close game. He plays like a child out there and has so much fun. How is this possible?

Later, Favre drove the Vikes downfield again, threatening another of his thrilling finishes. He tossed a screen to Chester Taylor -- and it bounced off Taylor's hands into those of sub linebacker Keyaron Fox.

So Favre was daringly driving the Vikings down the field, trying to be clutch and just enjoying the game like a kid, and he threw a perfectly thrown pass (goes without saying) to Chester Taylor who had the audacity to drop the pass? I don't believe it.

If I were a little more biased when hearing the description of both of these turnovers I would have to say in the 4th quarter of the Vikings-Steelers game on Sunday Brett Favre fumbled and threw an interception which led to the Vikings losing the game. I am sure it was not his fault though...none of it, because Brett Favre has no history of turning the ball over does he?

It had -- with a little help from an official's call, and a little more from the slippery hands of Taylor

Peter just wants us to be clear for the third time. Favre did not throw an interception, it was Taylor's fault he didn't catch the ball.

Now, the Cowboys might be completely back and they might not -- but what I like is that Romo is playing like you have to play sports. He's playing with his thought on only one thing: getting the ball to the open receiver, regardless of number or salary or pedigree.

Yes, that is exactly how you have to play sports, without regard for what number a player is wearing and when he was drafted. I hate it when some quarterbacks absolutely refuse to throw the ball to a receiver who has a number below #84 and didn't get drafted in the 3rd round or higher in the draft. I really think Peyton Manning could have won more Super Bowls if he been more like Tony Romo and less like a snob when deciding who gets to catch his passes.

One other thing about the Cowboys: Is it just me, or do they look like they're having more fun on offense? Maybe that comes from winning.

Yes Peter, it does come from winning. When a team wins, everything is great, when a team loses, everything sucks.

This is a flawed team, as many are, but when I look at them I still believe the Chargers are a playoff team capable of beating anyone in January -- the way they've beaten the Colts two Januarys in a row.

Oh sure, Peter takes every chance he can to bitch about how the Colts were screwed over by the overtime system last year in the playoffs when they lost to the Chargers. He pretty much took over the cause of changing the NFL's overtime system to make it more fair because of this game and never really gave the Chargers credit for winning the game. But...when he wants to prove the point the Chargers are a good team he doesn't mind throwing in that same victory over the Colts as proof of how good the Chargers can be. It all depends on what he is trying to prove he was correct about I guess.

The Colts got screwed over by the overtime system in Peter's mind, unless he wants to show the Chargers are a good team in which case the Chargers won this game outright.

4. Something's gotten into Cedric Benson.

But he's running with an intensity no one has seen before, in large part because he feels he was so trashed as a failure in Chicago.

Actually he very much was a failure in Chicago. I don't have any sympathy or good feelings towards a player who is given a huge contract as a high draft pick and underachieves out of college. Once he gets cut and wants a new big contract, he starts to go on a rampage against those who have "disrespected" him. He may or may not have gotten a fair shake in Chicago, but don't play him up as a redemption story because he blew more of Chicago's money than he was ever worth to them.

A player can't underachieve and then get angry at the team for cutting him. That's a basic sports rule I have.

Two games in England next year, probably, with the prospect of going to four in Europe by 2012. But I'm told reliably (and reported on NBC Sunday night) that one of the options the NFL will consider in the next year is choosing one team to play annually in London, so the league can work to develop a following over there.
I don't want to be an ugly American denying the English of getting an NFL football team but I don't know how a team permanently playing one game overseas would work well for the NFL. It's such a long flight over there and a team really would have to play overseas before their bye week to make it fair. I haven't really thought of the logistics of it completely, but for one team to play overseas in London every year is a big kick in the crotch to that team's fan base.

"Hey, we know you support the team and pay outrageous prices for tickets, but we really need to expand the fan base, so we are taking away a home game from your team and playing that game in another country in the hopes that team will become a favorite in a different country. Thanks for supporting your team and the NFL. Go fuck yourself."

I need to think about this more but I don't understand why expansion of the area where a team play it's games is the NFL's answer to growing the popularity of the NFL. It's not like a country overseas can't watch NFL games even if there is not a team overseas. I think I need to think about this more before I make a decision on whether this is smart or not.

7. Get ready for Brett Favre Hype Week.

Or as it is better known, "every week in the NFL and in Peter King's MMQB." Peter King warning us about Brett Favre Hype Week is like North Korea warning the United States about Iran's nuclear capabilities.

I think Favre believes he'll have more than a few supporters in the stands. But a longtime Green Bay resident told me recently what he thinks, from talking to the townies, that the crowd will be almost entirely anti-Favre, and the sentiment will be loud.

Brett Favre probably thinks the entire crowd will stand up and cheer him for all he has done for the city and the world. The reason he thinks this is because he is absolutely clueless at the pain he has caused the Packers fans by playing for their arch-rival. He is so caught up in himself and what he wants. I want the Packers fan to boo him like they have never booed an opposing player. I want him to be demoralized to show him it is NOT fine to treat fans and management of the Packers like shit just to get what you want. It is NOT fine to turn his back on the fans who supported him through the years, even when they should not have, simply because he is angry the team has moved on without him (since he retired and all...twice). You can do it Green Bay. The world is counting on you.

3. Denver (6-0). Take one young coach and one old safety. Add water, two eggs, three cups of flour, and you have yourself a championship cake.

Hear that Raheem Morris? If you had signed Rodney Harrison the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be headed to playoffs right now. It's that easy.

6. Minnesota (6-1).Chester Taylor's going to cringe when he watches the film from Sunday's game because he handed Keyaron Fox a touchdown.

Again, Peter King wants us to know this interception was not Brett Favre's fault. Do you hear that reading public? BRETT FAVRE IS NOT AT FAULT FOR THIS INTERCEPTION, JUST LIKE THE 311 INTERCEPTIONS BEFORE THAT. THEY CAN ALL BE EXPLAINED BY A RECEIVER, TIGHT END, OR RUNNING BACK SCREWING SOMETHING UP. BRETT FAVRE DID NOT BLOW THIS GAME! HE IS A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL MAN AND THIS WAS NOT HIS FAULT!

12. Atlanta (4-2). Can't kill 'em for losing at New England and at Dallas ...

But you can rank them as the worst 4-2 team in the NFL, behind a 3-3 team who plays in a horrible division (San Diego) and a 4-2 team that plays in a horrible division (Arizona). That's pretty much killing them in the Fine Fifteen by the way. If Peter had ranked them any lower, his "Fine Fifteen" would have even less relevance to reality than it currently has.

Let's do the math here. Bradford's surgery is Oct. 28. The rehab for the injury is between four and six months. Let's halve that and say five months before he's back to semi-normal.

I'm not sure where Peter learned math but halving four to six months of rehab is between two and two and a half months of rehab. Or as it is better known...not five months.

Quote of the Week IV

"Actually I wasn't.''
-- Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell, responding to coach Tom Cable saying he was "out of sorts'' during the 38-0 loss to the Jets Sunday.

If that performance isn't "out of sorts,'' kid, I'd like to see a performance that is. Russell was 6-of-11 with no touchdowns and two interceptions. After seven games, he's completing a league-low 46.3-percent of his throws.

Actually JaMarcus Russell is sort of right. 6-of-11 is better than he usually does. Nothing has made me sadder than Tom Cable attempting to screw up a historically bad season by pulling JaMarcus Russell. Let him play coach! See how bad it can get. It can get worse and you have to play him so we can see what a historically bad season truly looks like.

I'd like to thank two people -- Len Pasquarelli of ESPN and Mark Godich of Sports Illustrated -- for talking some sense into me over the past couple of years. Pasquarelli told me to stop naming so many players and coaches and goats of the week, and I said, OK, I'll think about it.

Finally. It's like Peter names an award for a player from every single game every week. It's ridiculous.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Spencer Havner, TE, Green Bay

The third-team tight end had two of the biggest plays, back-to-back, in the Packers' lopsided win at Cleveland. With the Browns up 3-0 early in the second quarter and fellow tight end Jermichael Finley injured, Havner took a pass from Aaron Rodgers and rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown, giving the Pack a lead it would not relinquish. On the next play, the Green Bay kickoff, Havner shed a double-team block by two ineffective Browns and slammed into the best special-teamer alive, return man Josh Cribbs of the Browns, and stopped Cribbs at the Cleveland 30.

Really? There was no other Special Teams player who deserved this award? Maybe someone who played in a game that was actually close and this player made a play, whether it be in a loss or not, that had an impact on the game and kept his team in the game only to have the QB, I mean the running back, blow the game? Really?

Coach of the Week

Dick Jauron, head coach, Buffalo

Meaningless games beckoned earlier this month, with sprouting billboards calling for Jauron's job as the Bills stared at a two-game trip to the Jets and Panthers. During the visit to the Jets, a quarterback from Harvard, Ryan Fitzpatrick, was asked to save a season, and the Bills won in overtime. On Sunday they pretty much dominated a bad Carolina team in Charlotte.

Buffalo did win, but they in no way dominated. I realize this was a boring game and Peter probably didn't watch one minute of it, but at least attempt to get your facts straight. So I don't sound like a whiner here are the numbers for the game. You figure out how Buffalo won since Peter can't seem to do his job and fucking watch a game before commenting on it. I'll give you a hint, it's called turnovers.

Buffalo had 167 total yards, a time of possession of 25:20 and 0 turnovers.
Carolina had 425 total yards, a time of possession of 34:40 and 4 turnovers.

Which side dominated the game again?

MVP Watch

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis.

2. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans.

I am trying to figure out how Drew Brees is less valuable to the Saints than Peyton Manning is to the Colts. I can't seem to do it.

5. Elvis Dumervil, OLB, Denver.

Denver had a bye week this week and Darrelle Revis (previously the only defensive player in the MVP Watch, Eli Manning was #5 last week) had an interception and lost his spot at #5 to Dumervil even though Revis has not become less valuable and Dumervil did not play this week. How did Dumervil jump to #5 on a bye week AND jump over Revis who had another interception?

The New England-Tampa Bay game Sunday in London was a home game for the Bucs. The Bucs haven't hosted the Patriots in a regular-season game in Tampa Bay since 1997, and under the current scheduling format, which calls for NFL teams to play at out-of-conference foe at home once every eight years, the Patriots won't be in Tampa 'til 2017. Tom Brady will be 40 then. Who knows? He may still be playing, but I'd bet Brady will never play a regular season game in Tampa, ever.

Tampa Bay is not going to ever get to see Tom Brady play football? That's a travesty! The fans deserve to be treated to a first hand viewing of Tom Brady tearing apart their football team. Every fan in every city should be blessed enough to watch Tom Brady play at least once before they die. Then, and only then, will they know what it is like to watch God on the football field.

And when the Chargers played the Saints in London last year, it meant no San Diego trip to Louisiana until 2016. So Saints fans in New Orleans will never get to see LaDainian Tomlinson.

I am sure the New Orleans fans are way more torn up about not seeing Tomlinson play rather than the fact their team ended up playing in essence more road games than home games. Forget the fact the team only got 7 games at home last year, they didn't get to see LT play!

The Tampa fan probably wouldn't miss an Atlanta game nearly as much as he'd miss Brady's only appearance ever in Raymond James Stadium.

Because apparently the world revolves around Tom Brady in Peter's mind.

On Saturday, about 30 minutes into the Boston-to-New York Acela trip, I found myself sitting in front of a gum-popper. Across the aisle in the quarter-full car were two silent Kindle readers. Behind me, with his Bose headphones silencing all the noise in the car (including his gum-chewing), was the nearly rhythmic snap-pause-snap-pause-snap of the clueless gum-popper. I had three choices: ignore it and go on with my typing, tell the guy to please stop popping, or move to the opposite end of the car.I moved.

Gum-popping, I think, is one of the truly annoying things that we just have to put up with.

Do you know what another truly annoying thing we have to put up with? People who have jobs that many others would love to have and these people complain about menial shit all the time, as if they themselves are the only ones in the world who have to deal with this "horrible" stuff in their otherwise charmed life.

a. What really impresses me about the Cardinals is their defensive tenacity along the front seven. That wasn't there with any consistency last year under defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

Which must be why the Cardinals made the Super Bowl last year and almost won it.

c. Percy Harvin. What a force. And how valuable he's become. Did you see Favre run 35 yards downfield to check on Harvin when he was shaken up in the second half of Vikes-Steelers?

Wow. He is so important the normally completely self-centered Favre actually checked on him one time to see if he was injured or not. Now that is an example of something I would consider to be amazing.

e. The proverbial difference in philosophy apparently led to the divorce between the NFL Network and its excellent Sunday morning pregame show producer, Brian Hyland (who, in the interest of full discloser, is a friend of mine from the HBO days)

In the interest of full discloser, neither Peter King or his editor can spell.

2. I think, Jeff Fisher, that 0-6 is no time to fool around with wearing a Peyton Manning jersey with cameras present. This isn't a fireable offense by any means, and owner Bud Adams should retain Fisher barring a ridiculous breakdown of team authority and discipline.

Obviously wearing that Manning jersey was incredibly stupid, but the more important question is this: Gregg Easterbrook thinks Jeff Fisher is a goner after this year and Peter King thinks he isn't a goner...so who to believe? I say Peter King. It's gotten to the point I pretty much favor any writer over Gregg Easterbrook at this point. I feel bad for Bill Simmons he has to be on Page 2 with Gregg and now I believe Peter King over Easterbrook when it comes to making coaching related predictions.

a. One good sign (and there aren't many) for Steve Spagnuolo in St. Louis: Danny Amendola can play. He's a good returner and Welker-esque receiver.

OMG! He is like another Wes Welk-ah! He went to Texas Tech and he is white. What a great and novel comparison by Peter King.

I bet Peter didn't even know Amendola went to Texas Tech. He just saw a white receiver and compared him to his favorite receiver on his favorite NFL team.

b. I like the call by Brad Childress, down 13-6 after three failures at fourth-and-goal from the Steelers' one. With Casey Hampton over the first-year starter at center, John Sullivan, Childress went for the field goal. I'd have taken the three points instead of going for the seven.

$100 bucks says Gregg Easterbrook doesn't like this call and ends this sentence with, "needless to say the Vikings went on to lose." Again, Peter King is right here. Even with Adrian Peterson you don't go for it here. There is plenty of time left in the game to score and there is no need to pump up the Steelers' fans if this attempt fails.

h. Houston's better than we think.

I said they would make the playoffs before the year (very shakily I predicted this...I admit I was shaky). Houston is better than Peter thinks and the reason he didn't notice earlier is because you don't pay good enough attention.

And now how bad does the Carolina trade of its 2010 first-rounder (to get defensive lineman Everette Brown last year) look, obviously needing a quarterback of the future?

Because you can only get a quarterback that is good in the first round? Isn't that what Peter is inferring? That's a pretty stupid statement. Since this draft is supposed to be so good and heavy on the QB's, the odds are that one or two guys who plays quarterback AND can tie his shoes will fall to the second round and can be taken by a team who wants a quarterback.

I'm not going to waste time defending this trade but Brown was a projected Top 15 pick and was available in the 2nd round so the team that did not plan on having Julius Peppers around this year nor this next year took him. I'm tired of talking about this and am going to go throw up now.

7. I think it's incredible that we're almost halfway into this season and Kyle Orton is ahead of Jay Cutler in almost all ways. Count them:

Here's another use of hyperbole by Peter to describe something that is really not incredible.

a. Wins: Orton's 6-0, Cutler 3-3.

Not incredible and not really a relevant comparison between the two quarterbacks.

d. Yards-per-attempt: Orton's .57 better, a full half a yard against the guy who's supposed to have the biggest arm in the league.

I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact Orton's receivers are Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall while Jay Cutler's receivers are Devin Hester and Earl Bennett.

b. Baseball has to do something about its postseason schedule. Come on, Bob Costas. Rattle a cage or two. Tell Bud Selig you can't have a one-day-on, one-day-off schedule. It negates the importance of having a deep team and a real bullpen if all your 'pen men can pitch every game.

(whispering) I agree. It's ridiculous that a team can pitch three pitchers in a series and only have one of the pitchers working on three days rest.

c. Call me 112 Across.

Peter King has strong armed his way into the New York Times crossword puzzle.

h. Good luck at Comcast, Tom Curran.

Send an email, letter or a fax to tell him this. There's no need to kill space with this type of crap...and yes I realize it is Peter King's column and he can write what he wants.

Here's a couple comments from a crossword puzzle blog (I think) about Peter being in the NY Times crossword puzzle:

And from 'Meg': "I did not have a negative reaction to this puzzle. Actually, I feel kind of sorry for the guy. I mean, if your goal in life is to be mentioned in a puzzle ... So I felt like BEQ was doing this poor sot a favor more than showing adulation.''

And this: "For Peter King's egomania to be rewarded so laboriously is icky.'' And this: "Build it around a Winston Churchill quote, or even someone alive and not nearly as famous. But a blowhard sportswriter -- with a Brett Favre infatuation -- who has his share of critics?''

I don't know if I could have said it better myself.