It’s the part of the week that football players dread. Where they are often best advised to look away and pretend nothing is happening. Because if they so much as take a glimpse at their position and see their name there is no way around it – they sucked for the week gone by.
It happens. Whether you’re a superstar riding a hot streak or a rookie out of your element, you just enter a game and things don’t go right for you. So while you’re getting some flak for your performance know that it’s easy to turn things around.
Who knows maybe next week you flip sides and play for the Team of the Week? For now, here’s a list of guys who in Week 16 ‘Had a Bay Day’.
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Mark Sanchez, NYJ (-6.5)
Another week, another bad performance by ‘The Sanchize’. No player is holding his team back more, completing just 50.8% of his passes and generally looking terrible against the Giants. He’s got a lot of talent around him in New York and yet fails to make the most of it.
Running Back: Cedric Benson, CIN (-2.8)
I can live with the 3.6 yards per carry. I can’t stand the two fumbles, especially after he fumbled three balls last week. Very uncharacteristic.
Full Back: Tyler Clutts, CHI (-1.2)
Honestly I don’t get the love for Clutts. He’s not been a great fullback all year and his performance against the Packers wasn’t even one of his worst displays. A non entity at the position.
Tight End: Brody Eldridge, IND (-4.6)
What use is a blocking tight end that can’t block?
Wide Receivers: Plaxico Burress, NYJ (-3.1) and Early Doucet, ARZ (-2.8)
Burress talked a good game but barely had more receptions (three) than penalties (two) and failed to threaten a Giants team he figured to pick up some touchdowns on. Doucet slipped at the wrong moment and also dropped a ball in a game he’ll want to forget.
Tackles: Doug Free, DAL (-4.4) and Jeff Linkenbach, IND (-7.7)
Free wasn’t the worst tackle on his own team, but was the worst left tackle this week. Any time you give up a sack, hit and six pressures you run that risk. The worst tackle on his team was Tyron Smith, but he’s saved from making this team because of the nightmarish performance from Linkenbach. The Colt was abused by J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed.
Guards: Jason Brown, SL (-2.7) and Mike McGlynn, CIN (-5.4)
There haven’t been many big of wastes of money as Jason Brown in recent years, and his demotion to the bench, followed by switch to left guard hasn’t yielded many betters results. McGlynn is a backup for a reason and asking him to match up with Darnell Dockett was always going to result in bad things for the Bengals offensive line.
Center: Matt Birk, BLT (-3.0)
Normally such a good run blocker, Birk turned in his worst display of the season gave up a penalty against a big Browns line that can cause problems.
DEFENSE
Defensive Front 4-3
Defensive Ends: Jason Jones, TEN (-3.3) and Adrian Clayborn, TB (-2.7)
The Titans have annoyed me. I used to love watching Jones play from the DT spot where he made plays when healthy. He just doesn’t seem to fit in with the new Titans scheme and offers very little pass rush. Clayborn did pick up three pressures but he can make it easy for linemen to take him out of running plays.
Defensive Tackle: Tyson Alualu, JAX (-4.5) and Roy Miller, TB (-3.8)
I praise Miller last week and how does he repay me? No pressure and no impact in the run game. Thanks. As for Alualu he’s like a lineman’s dream such is the ease with which they get him going to where he wants them to go.
Linebackers: Quincy Black, TB (-3.7), Mason Foster, TB (-3.6) and Jordan Senn, CAR (-3.1)
I don’t care about all the good things I’m hearing about Senn – eight times he was thrown at and eight times balls were completed against him for 98 yards. He doesn’t look like a starter to me. I made a comment about Jason Brown being as big a waste a money as I can think and then I remember Quincy Black. He managed 33 snaps, just 2 tackles (whilst missing one) and a -4.0 grade in run defense. Playing next to him is his teammate Foster who just doesn’t seem to have a great feel for where to be and can over pursue quite badly. A long off season of development ahead.
Defensive Front 3-4
Defensive Line: Jason Hatcher, DAL (-2.6), B.J. Raji, GB (-3.1) and Jared Odrick, MIA (-2.3)
You expect Hatcher to get more pressure but simply put, he was overmatched against Jason Peters and Evan Mathis. Odrick cost Miami a first round pick but you wouldn’t have guessed it from his display against the Patriots. 43 snaps and just the one pressure to show for it. It’s laughable that Raji, who has been nearly as invisible all year as he was against Chicago made the Pro Bowl. How does a guy that big get away with disappearing?
Outside Linebackers: Ryan Kerrigan, WAS (-4.7) and Erik Walden, GB (-3.3)
It seemed to take Kerrigan all day to realize that the Vikings were intent on running the option off right end, as he kept rushing up the field only for a tight end to smack him out of the play. That was as bad as he’s looked in a good rookie year. Kerrigan at least has some upside; Walden continues to underwhelm as perhaps the weakest link on a defense that gives up plenty of yardage.
Inside Linebackers: Kevin Burnett, MIA (-3.5) and Daryl Washington, ARZ (-2.3)
That was as bad as Burnett has played since finding his feet in Miami after a shaky start to the year. Just abused in coverage. Washington is a polarizing figure in the PFF offices with some thinking he deserved a Pro Bowl nod. I argued strongly against it and feel vindicated somewhat by how poor he was against the Bengals.
Cornerbacks: Lito Sheppard, OAK (-4.9) and Quentin Jammer, SD (-4.4)
Sheppard has a stat line that says it all – thrown at 11 times for 9 receptions and 137 yards. Jammer only gave up four balls but throw in two missed tackles and it was a tough day for the veteran CB. He’d be joined by teammate Dante Hughes if we put in nickelbacks who was even worse truth be told.
Safeties: Darian Stewart, SL (-5.1) and Steve Gregory, SD (-3.4)
What to say about a duo who missed five tackles between them? Well Stewart looked lost in run support with terrible angles taken, and Gregory was near as bad in coverage by just getting caught out of place. Well either man be starting next year? You’d hope not if they keep playing like this.
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