There's a great scene in the movie "Heavyweights" in which all of the kids at a "fat camp" go on an epic eating bender. It's like "Leaving Las Vegas" except with delivery food, sweets and deep-fried goodness instead of booze. As the campers awaken from their food comas the next day, hungover from the abundance of calories they ingested, their counselor asks them what they learned. Keenan Thompson's character aptly responds, "Don't put twinkies on your pizza." Valid statement, sir.
You see, you generally have to experience something first-hand before you know anything about it. You have to go through whatever situations, even if they're negative, that arise before you know what you're talking about. That's why it's hard to make predictions about the NFL. Every cell in your brain can make the logical argument that the Pittsburgh Steelers would beat the New York Jets...until they don't.
So now that we've witnessed most of Week 10, what three important lessons did we learn?
1. Carson Palmers is the unluckiest quarterback in the world
On Dec. 29, 2005, Carson Palmer signed a $119 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Ten days later he tore his ACL. This past Friday, Palmer signed a $50 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals. Yesterday, he suffered what is rumored to be a torn ACL. Something about money just does not agree with this guy.
I know some of you out there won't feel too bad for a QB that signed contracts worth nearly $170 million. But Palmer has gotten a raw deal at so many key moments throughout his career. His 2008 elbow injury came right after his breakout season. This year, the Cardinals were starting to look like Super Bowl contenders before yesterday's injury.
I feel bad for the guy. Palmer has always been a fun quarterback to watch when healthy. He loves throwing the deep ball and taking chances. His starts on good teams are always exciting. The Cardinals (8-1) were looking like everyone's least favorite potential post-season opponent and I was looking forward to watching them make a run in the playoffs. While Drew Stanton has filled in admirably this season - three touchdowns and no interceptions in four game appearances, 81.6 passer rating - he's kind of like the Ron Weasley of quarterbacks, just tagging along even though he doesn't really bring anything to the table.
This is one of the more disappointing injuries in football this season.
2. The Superdome no longer that super
The New Orleans Saints had won 20 straight home games in which Sean Payton has coached. They had won 11 consecutive games at the Superdome regardless of who was calling the shots. That streak was snapped yesterday thanks to the San Francisco 49ers' 27-24 victory. Drew Brees threw two interceptions and lost a fumble (although he also threw three touchdowns) while San Fran racked up more than 140 rushing yards on the day.
The Saints fell to 4-5 with the loss and are in danger of finishing with just their second losing season under Payton. While the 49ers are talented, it's concerning that the Saints couldn't take care of business at home. San Francisco had dropped two straight games coming into yesterday's matchup and have been surrounded by distracting speculation all season about coach John Harbaugh's frosty relationship with the front office. This just seemed like a winnable game for New Orleans to continue to string a few Ws together. Instead, the Saints allowed Colin Kaepernick to complete a 51-yard pass on fourth down to set up the game-winning field goal.
I don't think either team will end up getting over the hump of mediocrity this season.
3. NFL games in London kind of suck
Since 2007, the NFL has played 11 regular season games in London. Five of those games have been blowouts decided by at least two possessions, including Sunday's 31-17 win by the Dallas Cowboys over the Jacksonville Jaguars (side note: another negative of these London games is that from 2013 to 2015, three of the seven NFL games will have involved the Jaguars...).
The NFL wants to grow its brand internationally. While football may be the most popular sport in the States, it lacks the international appeal of the NBA. The London-based games are an attempt to expand the league's reach. But the games are just plain awful for the most part. It's like America holds some residual anger over the Revolutionary War and deliberately puts together non-competitive games to bore the English.
The next game is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2015, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. Here's hoping it's a bit more exciting.
