Monday Morning Hangover: Week Six
Every Sunday we’re featuring the Sunday Six Pack that covers the day’s biggest storylines. We follow this up each and every Monday with the Monday Hangover, which looks back on those stories and covers what we learned. These back-to-back articles are sure to get you primed, pumped and informed throughout the entire season. In addition, reading these articles will ensure you understand the dangers of not paying attention or drinking too much on Sundays.
Can #1) No Mercy Percy
Harvin had another noteworthy performance in week six, racking up 11 receptions for 133 yards. He also added two rushing attempts, totaling one yard. Through six weeks, Harvin has established himself as a consistent top top ten PPR threat by amassing 49 receptions and 540 receiving yards. Interestingly enough, he’s only found the end zone a single time  as a receiver but, as a triple threat player, he remains an every week starter. Once considered by many to be overly quirky and somewhat fragile, Harvin has established himself as a gutsy play-maker who likely has another decade of performance to come, barring injury. He’s a player you hate to see starting across from you on fantasy Sunday.
Can #2) Ballard’s Bounty
Can we say that we saw anything definitive on our way toward determining how capable Vick Ballard could be as productive back? Hard to say. Ballard was far from dynamic, amassing only 25 yards on eight rushes in addition to two receptions for 17 yards. Hardly a noteworthy performance. Against a defense that has been anything but stout against the run, Ballard couldn’t get into a rhythm. Couple that with the fact that the Colts found themselves playing from behind in the second quarter and his day was all but done. Donald Brown remains the Colts most dynamic back and they’ll be looking forward to getting him back. Ballard is still deserving of a roster spot but his luster is slowly fading.
Can #3) High Tempo Meets PhysicalityÂ
In what was arguably the game of the week, it looked like “high tempo” would win the day as New England raced out to an early lead and Tom Brady had little difficulty in moving the ball at will. The Patriots’ up-tempo offense and Brady’s 58 pass attempts had the Seahawks on their heels early. But come the second half and the tables were quickly turned. New England still had their chances but sloppy play and the inability to pick up key third downs led to field goals that ultimately wouldn’t hold up. A New England defense that was able to stifle Marshawn Lynch and hold the Hawks scoreless in the middle-two quarters, ran out of gas and was burned badly by the Seattle’s mighty mouse, Russell Wilson. In the end, a 46 yard Sidney Rice bomb sealed the victory for the Seahawks and Brady’s bunch, at 3-3, will have a lot to think about on the long ride home and begin to prepare for the visiting Jets. For Seattle fans, if you believe that defense wins championships, then there’s a lot to look forward to over the remainder of 2012 … not to mention that the offense has seemingly turned the corner as well.
Can #4) Low Tempo Meets Low Resistance
The ugliest great game of the week was found in Arizona as the Cardinals tried to keep an impressive home winning streak alive. It certainly looked as it would be in the cards as Jay Feely connected with a ridiculous 61 yard field goal with just over a minute left and would get another chance from 38 yards out to seal the victory. In the end, Feely’s attempt would hit the left upright, sending the game into overtime. As so often happens, the Cardinals couldn’t regain any momentum and the Bills’ Jairus Byrd overtime interception set up the game winning field goal by Rian Lindell. But beyond the late fireworks, the game was largely devoid of impressive offensive performances , with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 153 yards of passing setting the bar. Furthermore, no single running back or receiver eclipsed the 100 yard mark. Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller did manage a combined 110 yards with a rushing touchdown and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald hauled in six receptions on 12 targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. You get the feeling that neither team is destined for greatness this year.
Can #5) Brady Quinn Gets Another Last Chance
That should be Brady’s last chance. It’s not fair that a backup quarterback should only get a single game to develop chemistry and establish himself as a starter but that’s likely the situation that Quinn was in. After failing time and again to establish any offensive rhythm and the defense unable to stop the juggernaut that is Tampa Bay (tongue firmly planted in cheek), Quinn’s day ended with him going 22-for-38 for 180 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Game. Â Set. Â Match. Â Ricky Stanzi anyone?
Can #6) Can Someone Please Catch a Matthew Stafford Touchdown Pass?
It was far from a dominating performance but 311 passing yards, a single passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown is enough to take off the sting of what has been a pedestrian year thus far from Stafford, at least for a single week. The Lions simply haven’t established an additional receiver beyond Megatron and the frequent drops haven’t elicited additional confidence in the receiving corps. Â A 4:5 touchdown to interception ration, regardless of the reasons why, isn’t enough to give fantasy owners the confidence needed not to seek alternatives in the second half of the season if Stafford can’t get things turned around in the next two weeks. Stay tuned.
You can find Jeff on Twitter at @dlf_jeff
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