Merlin's Magic Week Twelve

Well Addicts, you can’t polish that turd of a performance. For this to happen in a winnable game is disgusting. The only positive part is that Thigpen finally had a bad game. I do not think you can really find out what you have in a quarterback until he has some success then has a bad game. Now, we can see if he has the mental toughness to come back and play well. There really isn’t much more to add, other than the defense just not getting it done. Injuries and lack of depth have killed us there.

Carl/Herm watch. Their stock is down. This is not the kind of performance that helps them earn their jobs back. I will not render a decision on their status until after the season. If you read the clues I have dropped, you know what way I am leaning.

Draft position watch. With five games left, we can start to look at draft position. The Lions schedule is tough, with no obvious winnable games on it. For us, two games are critical. We play both the Raiders and the Bengals. What happens in those two games will go a long ways to determining the order of the top few positions. Seattle and St. Louis both have two wins and play each other three weeks from now. That is another key game to keep our eyes on.

Raider week. I remember when this was a big deal. It’s not so much anymore. If you grew up on football in the 60’s or 70’s the Raiders are a much bigger rivalry than the Broncos. One thing Marty Schottenheimer did well was stress Raider week. He hated them and so do I. They can never lose enough. Their current state? Well Al Davis, I love what you have done to this team.