Before we begin …
This is a very, very special day in the Glauber household, and it’s part of the reason we’re late on this entry. At 5:25 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1996, Emily Ann Glauber came into this world. So please join me in wishing her a happy 11th birthday. Emily asks months in advance if her daddy is going to be home on her birthday, and we do everything possible to accommodate that request during the teeth of the football season.
Thanks to all who participated in our poll question: Who is the smartest player in the NFL this week? See below for answer.
(One last thing: It’s killing me that I can’t come up with a “statistical anomaly of the week,” so anyone with any suggestions, please let me know and we’ll update, including a shoutout.)
Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. I know, I know. He dropped some key passes in the Sunday night debacle against the Redskins. So did everyone else in those ridiculous winds. But Jacobs put up 130 yards and was the only offense they had. The Giants’ big mistake: not keeping it on the ground more.
Jet of the week: Chad Pennington, QB. Coming off the bench with barely any practice reps during the week, Pennington did enough to put his team in position to win – or at least tie. It wasn’t his fault Justin McCareins couldn’t hold onto the ball on what would have cut the Patriots lead to 20-17. 
Smartest player of the week award: It’s a tie between Eagles running back Brian Westbrook and Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan. We are absolutely in love with what these guys did near the end of the Eagles-Cowboys game. At one point in the Eagles huddle late in the fourth quarter and Philly holding a 10-6 lead, Runyan told Westbrook that if he gets anywhere near the endzone, he should stop short and go down. Why so? Even though the Eagles would be taking points off the board, they’d be in position to run out the clock. Lo and behold, Westbrook gets the ball with 2:19 to play and runs from the Dallas 24 to the 1, where he goes down. Donovan McNabb then kneels down the next three plays to run out the clock and secure the victory. Well done, gentlemen.
Offensive player of the week: Drew Brees, QB, Saints. Still alive in the playoff hunt – albeit barely, Brees goes 26-of-30 for 315 yards and two TDs in the Saints’ 31-24 win over the Cardinals. After an 0-4 start, the Saints have won seven of their last 10 to stay in it. Brees is the reason why.
Defensive player of the week: Jason Taylor, DE, Dolphins. Remember Taylor, last year’s defensive MVP? He came up with two sacks yesterday, helping Miami break its ugly 13-game losing streak with a win over the Ravens.
Special teams player of the week: Michael Spurlock, KR, Buccaneers. Breaking an incredible string of futility, Spurlock returned a first-quarter kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. It was the first such return in the history of the franchise.
Dominating performance award: The Chargers. They pummeled the reeling Lions at home 51-14 to clinch the AFC West title. These guys are on a roll. Then again, we’ve seen this before in the regular season, only to see them go belly-up too soon in the playoffs.
Ground-breaking award, Part I: Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars. Sorry, Steelers fans. I know this one hurts. But with a defense that prides itself on stopping the run, Taylor made a mockery of the men in black-and-gold, running for 147 yards on 25 carries and scoring a touchdown in Jacksonville’s road win. Humiliation will be complete for Steelers fans with tomorrow’s Power Rankings.
Ground-breaking award, Part II: Jamal Lewis, RB, Browns. He hung 163 yards on the Bills in snow-covered Cleveland to help the Browns keep pace with the Steelers in what has turned out to be a thrilling AFC North race.
In need of a one-liner award: The Lions. Again, we’re out of adjectives to describe the pitiful state of this franchise. That’s six straight losses. Please supply appropriate comments … richie g, you out there?
Eli’s-not-the-only-one-having problems award: Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys. He threw three picks in a brutal home loss to the Eagles, proving that even the greatest free agent QB in the game today is capable of a clunker.
Rookie of the week: Matt Moore, QB, Panthers. While Romo was the undrafted free agent who took a pounding yesterday, Moore was the one who scored a major win. In his first NFL start, he led the Panthers to a huge upset of the streaking Seahawks. He threw for 207 yards and didn’t have an interception.
Coaching second-guess award, Part I: Kevin Gilbride, Giants offensive coordinator. We repeat: Why is Eli Manning throwing 52 times on a night when 200-pound Newsday co-blogger of the year Neil Best is nearly blown over when leaving Giants Stadium.
Coaching second guess, Part II: Brian Billick, Ravens. On fourth down at the Dolphins’ 1 with 12 seconds to play, Billick chose to go for the field goal and send it into overtime. The Dolphins scored their first win of the season in the extra session. Not like the Ravens are going anywhere, so why not go for the win right there?
Brett Favre shoutout award: Favre surpassed Dan Marino’s record for career passing yards, and leads Green Bay to a blowout win in St. Loo to keep the Pack’s miracle season on track.
Comments (16)
happy birthday emily.you have a terrific dad.hope you had a great day.
Here's a statistical anomoly:
Tom Brady passer rating - 51.5
Chad Pennington passer rating - 77.3
Happy 11th Birthday Emily.
Hope you had a great day. Hope your dad didn't spend the whole day in the basement, blogging in his boxers.
My own 11 year old daughter asked months in advance for a cell phone with unlimited texting.
Lions franchise = Giant box of suck.
Happy birthday, E-Glaubs! Tell Daddy Glauber to buy you something nice.
As for statistical anomalies:
Miami wins a game
Tom Brady throws 0 touchdowns
Belichick exchanges 1 pleasantry with Mangini
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!
Statistical anomaly of the week: That such a beautiful wonderful girl could have a dad like Bob... :-) :-)
Just kidding Bob.
Seriously Emily, you have a Super Dad.
Happy Birthday Emily!
Happy Birthday Emily,
and happy birthday to you, Bob, even though yours is tomorrow 12/18. What's the matter, you're too shy to say that your birthday follows Emily's. I figured you'd find a way to exploit it in hopes of getting a few extra blog hits.... you know, 'Guess Bob's Age.... Vote Here' ....or 'Pick Bob's Birthday Present... Vote here'.... Yeah I think that's the contest, 'Pick a Birthday Present for Glauber'... It will give Glauber Nation a chance to weigh in and say something funny. A recommendation from your brother,
richie g
Oh yeah! Pick bob's birthday present!
Thanks for the Brett Favre shoutout.
Karl:
Do I know you?
Happy Birthday to Emily and BG! As for a present, hmmm, well we know he needs DirecTV because he's too cheap and Newsday is too shortsighted to supply him with it. We know he could use a Scarlett Johanssen calendar because..well, just because. But let's get him what he covets most of all....more page views! Click like mad this month Glauber Nation and let's help Bob become NewsDays' Blogger of the month. Now that would be prestigious!
The Detroit Lions: "Refusing to allow our citizens to loot our local merchants for over 42 years and counting!"
No I don't know you Bob. I never answered before because I thought you were joking.
I read an article on SI's website about coach of the year and you mentioned you were deciding between McCarthy and Romeo. Well if this helps you decide...Cleveland fans want Romeo gone and believe if he wasn't the coach they would already have 10-11 wins on the year. His in game management has been questioned by Cleveland fans. Packer fans, such as I, have drunk the McCarthy Kool-Aid and believe in him.
Karl:
I'm playing off that riff from last week when you thought I'd eventually forget the "original" people who have powered this blog. Or don't you remember. It's a running joke. I know you don't know me. Work with me here, Karl. You're in the club, dude.
:)
Thanks for heads up on Crennel, but how can you not give this man credit for what he's done this year. Besides, the fans in Cleveland couldn't wait to get rid of Belichick.
Enough said.
Bob, You are funny. I gotcha. I think you have a great sense of humor.
After the Jets-Cleveland game I was listening to 1050 and suddenly the radio station from Cleveland came in loud and clear. It might have been 1100 or something. Anyway, I called my Browns fan to tell him how cool it was to hear a sports talk radio in Cleveland, and all he did was rant about how bad Cremel is as a coach. He has said it all year, even though they are winning.
I just don't know about Romeo. Does he really deserve the credit? In other words, what has he done to make them win?
As for McCarthy, he calls the offensive plays. Therefore he has a bigger hand in the offense.
I would not vote Belichick.
Wade Philips? Possibly. But Jason Garrett gets a lot of credit too.
1. McCarthy 2. Philips 3. Dungy