MMQB - The Review

With the NFL season started - that means Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback gets back to being focused on football. I'll review his Monday offerings from time to time.

Here are the five things I think I think about today's MMQB

1. This is why Peter should stick to football:

If the baseball season ended today, my two MVPs would be Derek Jeter (by the way, Jeter and Mary Beth King were born 11.5 years apart in the same hospital in suburban New Jersey) and Barry Bonds, by a hair over Adrian Beltre

Derek Jeter? I think Peter just wanted to mention that Mary Beth and Jeter were born n the same hospital. Either that or he has a man-crush on Derek.

2. Hmmm...

I asked Brett Favre the other day about Carolina's defense, and he said this: "Their front is probably as good as Tampa's was. And Carolina's bigger. Sapp and Rice were fast, but they were smaller, quick guys compared to Carolina's. Carolina's got size and quickness we don't see much. Two years ago, we played 'em up here and they were tough. We beat 'em on sort of a fluke play.'' Favre's prognosis: "If we have to rely on the run in this game, we won't win.''

Peter's taking Carolina - the line's three. I say take the Packers and the points because of the King jinx factor.

3. McGinest is the Bucky F'n Dent of Indianapolis football:

And how in the world do you not know where Willie McGinest is on that final sack? How are you not watching, or feeling, a very good pass-rusher coming from your blind side? Clearly Manning was expecting McGinest to be accounted for, but this was too vital a time of the game for him not to know where the rush was coming from. The sack pushed the Colts back from the New England 17 to the 29, and made the potential game-tying field goal a 48-yard try instead of a 35- or 36-yard attempt.

4. You will be happy to now that the Mary Beth quotient is very low in today's MMQB. I always just skipped over that stuff but I know it really bothered some.

5. Bob Ryan writes for the Boston Globe and coaches in the NFL? Who knew?

I think the one result that obscured some progress over the weekend was Pittsburgh 24, Oakland 21. I only saw the highlights, but Rob Ryan's defense looked like it showed up. The Raiders held Pittsburgh to 237 total yards, including just 3.2 yards per rush, and made Plaxico Burress (one catch, 11 yards) a non-factor.