BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

Monday Morning Quarterback

By Ben Maller

I have tried to give Matt Millen alot of rope in Detroit as he rebuilds the Lions. However If Marty Mornhinweg is still the coach in the motor city next year than Millen should be given the boot. Its football 101 that in a sudden death overtime the most important thing is the damn ball. Mornhinweg in one of the all time genius moves took the wind instead of the ball and ended up with the loss in Chicago.

Mike Martz did the right thing in starting Kurt Warner at quarterback for the Rams against the Redskins. The problem in St. Louis is that Warner has not made the clutch plays over the last couple of season's.

It will be fun to hear Jim Fassell and the Giants spin a loss to an expansion Texans' team. The only answer is the obvious they did not prepare during the week or did not show up on Sunday. Gotta love the New York Post who summed it up best. The Giants are frauds!

Green Bay is making me look like a football profit. After they beat the Dolphins I wrote a column for FoxSports.com explaining why the Packers were not the NFL's best team. Brett Favre has played like he's the head cook at a bakery the last two weeks the way he has cooked up turnovers.

Unless the Buccaneers can establish a running game they will not win the NFC. Brad Johnson has yet to prove he can make the big plays in the playoffs and without a big time running back I'm guessing that's not going to change.

Hats off to Tony Dungy and the Colts a dome team that rallied in a heavy snow in Denver to beat the Broncos. Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 54-yard field goal through a heavy snowfall with 3 seconds left in regulation, then he made a 51-yarder in overtime for the game winner.

Atlanta made Carolina look like well, Carolina. Nice effort by the Panthers against Mike Vick and the Falcons. Atlanta's defense was the real story forcing four interceptions, eight sacks and two lost fumbles in a 41-0 win over Carolina. How good was the Birds defense? The Falcons shut out Carolina twice this season, by a combined score of 71-0. It's the first time that an NFL team has shut out an opponent twice in the same season since 1976

Miami will win the AFC East now that they have been able to win back to back games with Ray Lucas at quarterback. The Chargers looked like they left there hearts back in San Diego as Ricky Williams made there defense look like the Aztec's.

Jack Plummer is the Cardinals version of Kordell Stewart. Its going to be amusing to watch some silly NFL team sign Plummer this offseason and spin that this is a good pick up.

Even though the Saints didn't have Deuce McAllister they join the Panthers, Giants and Chargers among NFL teams that got an early jump on the Thanksgiving Holiday. Its always been one of those things that I don't understand about professional sports and mostly the NFL. How do good teams not stay focused from week to week? They have 16 games and the playoffs to stay focused for during the year and nobody can seem to do this.

Random Weekend Thoughts

UCLA coach Bob Toledo is the perfect average coach. The Bruins program continues to be stuck in the mud.

USC coach Pete Carroll is building a team that can win a national championship in two years. The Trojans must develop a quarterback next season and make the run when stud receiver Mike Williams is a junior.

Hats off to Ohio State for going 13-0 in the Big 10. The Buckeyes have a good enough defense to keep the national championship game close. I think Miami will win the game.

Baylor should hire Mike Singletary as there new coach. Who else can you think of who has made a bigger impact on that school?

Saw Shaquille O'Neal play for the first time in person this season last night against the Bucks. Shaq looked good considering he's not in his game shape yet. The Lakers looked like the championship team that they are against an average Bucks team.

I had goosebumps when the Lakers honored the late great Chick Hearn by unveiling a jersey bearing his name as part of a special pregame ceremony. Jerry West spoke at the tribute and didn't mention the Memphis Grizzlies once.

I'm not really the Hollywood type guy. I don't go to alot of movies and have trouble telling friends who is famous and who is not. That said I walked back to my seat at Staples next to some dude who looked very framiler. My friend Elie a writer from Israel then pointed out that it was Andy Garcia.

How bad a guy could Glenn Robinson have had to have been for George Karl and the Bucks to trade him to Atlanta for Toni Kukoc.

The talk among the LA media at Staples Center was how bad the UCLA Bruins basketball team is going to be this season. Steve Lavin's team could have 20 losses in them this season. Its early we will see how bad they really are.

Its embarrassing the little effort many Clipper players show on a nightly basis. They looked like a team that was trying to get Alvin Gentry fired on Friday when they blew a 16-point lead against the Nuggets in the final nine minutes. Clips broadcaster Ralph Lawler who has seen lots of bad basketball in all his years said on air that this years Nuggets team is "As bad as it gets."
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