Tuesday FourCast: Week 13

1) Reflecting Negatively
Here’s a few FACTS I bet you didn’t expect to see through 13 weeks of the NFL season:

A) Tom Brady with 0 TD passes.
B) Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh and the G-Men are 11-1.
C) 4-8 San Diego Chargers & Jacksonville Jaguars.
D) Brett Favre is 8-4; Aaron Rogers is 5-7
E) Oakland Raiders only firing 1 coach thus far.
F) Seattle Seahawks are 2-10.

There’s countless more; however, there’s the six I’m stacking up as my biggest negative surprises…that you won’t read in two-dozen national columns.

2) Reflecting Positively
Here’s a few FACTS I bet you didn’t expect to see through 13 weeks of the NFL season:

A) NFL TD leader…Michael Turner.
B) 8-4 Atlanta Falcons.
C) Joe Flacco is 8-4 as a starter.
D) Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, & Steve Slaton eyeing 1,000 yard, 10 TD seasons.
E) Gus Frerrotte starting for a playoff contender.
F) No NFC or AFC East team has a losing record.

There’s countless more; however, there’s the six I’m stacking up as my biggest positive surprises…that you won’t read in two-dozen national columns.

3) Deal or No Deal???
Let’s wax poetic with a little “old school” overrated/underrated.

Quarterbacks
Underrated: Chad Pennington
Overrated: David Garrard

Running Backs
Underrated: Thomas Jones
Overrated: Willis McGahee

Wide Receivers
Underrated: Andre Johnson
Overrated: Chad Ocho Cinco

Defenders
Underrated: Mario Williams (Charlie Casserly gets an extra year for this one)
Overrated: Jason Taylor (as a free-agent pickup)

Coaches
Underrated: Jeff Fisher
Overrated: Mike McCarthy

I could go on and on (and on); however, I won’t.

4) 4 More Weeks to Go
In the words of Woody Paige…LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE!
Specifically, let’s check out four of the most popular teams on the NFL radar.

Dallas Cowboys [8-4, 2nd in NFC East, 7th in NFC playoff standings]
@Pittsburgh, NY Giants, Baltimore, @Philadelphia
Consensus: The Cowboys have the Skins nipping at their heels and an NFC South race that is too close to call.

Pittsburgh Steelers [9-3, 1st in AFC North, 2nd in AFC playoff standings]
Dallas, @Baltimore, @Tennessee, Cleveland
Consensus: The Stillers have homefield as a possibility; however, the Ravens and several other hard-charging teams pose real threats for playoff seeding.

Washington Redskins [7-5, 3rd in NFC East, 8th in NFC playoff standings]
@Baltimore, @Cincinnati, Philadelphia, @San Francisco
Consensus: The Skins will need to edge out Dallas as it appears the NFC South may be worthy of 2 playoff spots this year. A win at B-More is crucial though.

New England Patriots [7-5, 2nd in AFC East, 7th in AFC playoff standings]
@Seattle, @Oakland, Arizona, @Buffalo
Consensus: Pats will be heavily favored to go 4-0 down the stretch. That means they’re 11-5 and ultimately playoff bound. Much to the dismay of the Jets, Ravens, and Dolphins.

A few more nuggets...
Carolina is closer to homefield than you might think in the NFC.
Denver may be the safest team – outside of Tennessee – in the AFC playoff picture.
I don’t want to talk about the major hiccup the Jets had last Sunday. Suffice to say though, it may cost them a playoff spot in the end.

Enjoy the madness over the next four weeks!!!