Andy Richardson

Did all the talk last week about how to tackle and how not to hit each other have an effect on the players in the games yesterday? Maybe it was just the games I was focusing on, but there were a whole lot of fumbles, interceptions, dropped passes, and blown tackles on the screen. Where were players' heads at? Just another typical Sunday? It didn't feel that way. And then there was the way it ended....

Washington at Bears: In fairness, I did watch almost all of this particular game, which might account for my seeming to see a lot of turnovers. Six interceptions, 8 fumbles, a whole bunch of sacks and dropped passes, and Donovan McNabb throwing some passes at receivers' feet; is that why he doesn't throw more interceptions? He really does seem to skip a lot of passes. Anyway. Jay Cutler was also involved in this game, and Mike Martz was shown putting his face in his hands every 10 minutes or so. Ugly game. ... I was impressed by Ryan Torain. He's not creative or anything, but he runs with power and determination. At the end of the game Troy Aikman said he thinks Washington still misses Clinton Portis. I don't think so. ... A couple of Cutler's turnovers were the result of a lack of route-running savvy by Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Not Cutler's fault. The other two, and in particular the game-ending one, were just awful throws. ... Impressive games by Santana Moss and Chris Cooley. Both made heady plays on the field, ran good routes...on one, Cooley was hit short of the first down but spun around the tackle to pick it up. Not the type of move most tight ends can make. ... Washington punted away from Devin Hester all game.

Steelers at Dolphins: Controversial ending here. Probably would have been the case whatever had been called. Not sure how you award fumbles on plays like the one at the end of the game, since it seems to change from week to week. Sometimes they give it to the guy who comes out of the pile with it, sometimes they don't. Luck counts too. ... I hate watching (or owning part of) Miami's offense. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to how they use their running backs. ... Saw Chad Henne miss an open Brandon Marshall in the end zone. At least once, arguably twice. Seems to be a weekly occurrence. ... Pretty touchdown to Mike Wallace, impressive touchdown effort by Hines Ward. ... I don't criticize announcers that much, because it's a tough job. But I have a hard time staying on a Dan Dierdorf game for long. The guy just says a lot of things that do not have the ring of sharpness or insight. Was that diplomatic enough?

Bills at Ravens: We put a lot of work into researching games. So rest assured that if there was any inclination Ryan Fitzpatrick would throw for nearly 400 yards and 4 TDs against a top-10 pass defense like the Ravens, we'd have mentioned it. Fitzpatrick did his damage on fantasy benches in most every league, but maybe some people at least had Lee Evans or Steve Johnson (due to his TD hot streak) in their lineups. All I can say is that if you have any of these players, sell high. ... Now that the trading deadline has passed and Willis McGahee isn't going anywhere, the Ravens are apparently willing to use him. McGahee got about 40 percent of the carries and played at the goal line, scoring a touchdown (although it should be noted that Rice got the previous carry). Still, it looks like McGahee's role will increase the rest of the way. ... I had the guts to pick Todd Heap up in several places, but was wary of starting him due to his concussion. Terrible move with Heap scoring 2 TDs. With him and Chris Cooley both playing well, I guess you can't overrate concussions that guys are cleared to play after.

Eagles at Titans: Andy Reid wasted no time announcing that Michael Vick would start the team's next game (after a Week 8 bye). Kevin Kolb's stat line wasn't bad, but he overthrew and underthrew receivers, most notably Brent Celek on a chance for a huge play early on, then made some poor decisions late. He lost a fumble near the goal line with the Eagles up 16-7, threw a few incompletions, and the next thing you knew it was 27-19 Titans. Not all his fault, but he didn't play well. ... DeSean Jackson was missed. Jeremy Maclin looks a lot better as a No. 2 than a No. 1, and Brent Celek had no room to work in. ... For the Titans, Chris Johnson had a quiet day. But you may have seen a highlight or two of Kenny Britt loping down the field on one of his 3 TDs. Britt didn't get on the field until midway through the second quarter, at which point Tennessee's offense started to get dramatically better. Guy's having a breakout year; hope he doesn't get suspended next week. ... Michael Vick got flagged for interfering with a sideline ref. Having an impact even from the sideline.

Patriots at Chargers: I think we can now say with some certainty that San Diego is a poorly coached team. Twice on Sunday they left live balls on the field, one turnover killing a drive and the other setting the Patriots up near the goal line. They missed a game-tying field goal off the upright directly after taking a penalty that made it a 50-yarder. Penalties, mental mistakes, close losses almost every week. Bad coaching. ... Antonio Gates did nothing for a while, and was off the field for a half, but his usual self with a touchdown after that. So one guesses he'll be fine going forward. ... Patrick Crayton finished with OK numbers, but also dropped a critical pass on the final drive. ... Ryan Mathews doesn't look dynamic. And of course, he never gets to play with a lead, so he's not getting enough touches. ... Poor numbers for New England's offense, but not because San Diego's defense is so good or anything. They got some short fields thanks to Chargers miscues. Funny moment where Belichick again went for it on fourth and short in his own end with a lead. BenJarvus Green-Ellis got stuffed, but the Chargers missed the ensuing field goal, so it didn't matter. ... Acrobatic TD grab from Rob Gronkowski. Nice leaping catch late by Aaron Hernandez. Good couple of players they pulled out of the last draft. ... Tom Brady needs a haircut.

Vikings at Packers: Saw a graphic during this game that there were more interceptions returned for touchdowns this week than in any other week in NFL history. Think that's what it said, anyway. So it wasn't just me noticing this stuff. ... Did you start Brett Favre and Percy Harvin this week? Did you face Aaron Rodgers? If so, or if the reverse is true, you had a lot of highs and lows on the exact same plays. Rodgers got credit for a touchdown on a third and long early on that was clearly bobbled by Andrew Quarless (and maybe out of bounds, too). Packers would have had to settle for a field goal, but the Vikings didn't challenge. Favre threw a touchdown to Harvin that was reversed (correctly) on instant replay: Harvin stepped out at the 1. Next play, Adrian Peterson TD run. (In the Niners game, Alex Smith completed a pass to Vernon Davis down to the 1, then threw him a TD on the next play. Now that is respect for fantasy owners.) Favre threw a touchdown to Visanthe Shiancoe, but it was overturned....strangely. Vikings settle for field goal. Final minute, Favre throws a winning TD to Harvin in the back of the end zone. Except on reversal (again correctly), Harvin didn't get both feet in bounds. Why yes, I was starting both players in several leagues. OUCH. ... High drama in the game. It's pretty clear one of these teams is going to win the NFC North, and Green Bay has the edge, simply because of shrewd use of challenges and not shooting themselves in the foot. Lost in the box score will be a very costly facemask penalty that put the Vikings into a first and 30 in the final minute, rather than a first down at the 15. Little plays and penalties and missed opportunities here and there...and you're 2-4. And that's football -- and fantasy football.

And I can say it: Brett Favre is old, beat up, and although he's still good enough to lead a few of those late drives, and make some fantastic throws, and come within Percy Harvin's second foot of winning, a lot more of those late drives are going to end badly than not. It didn't used to be that way.

Maybe that's why I still, even after everything and all the years and waffling and new teams and retirements and whatever else, love watching the guy play. Sure, he's not the same guy, on the field or off. He's a little slower and a little more tired and has a few more nicks taken out of him.

And isn't that true for all of us?

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