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THIS WEEK'S FOX NFL SUNDAY PANEL
Czar: "Well, does anybody have some Super Bowl teams picked?"
Terry Bradshaw: "I'm sticking with the Giants being there. They aren't fazed one bit with being the defending champs and I think the Steelers, with Ben or with Byron Leftwich, will get there. They showed Monday night they have too much defense for anybody in the AFC."
Czar: "How about a rookie of the year pick?"
TB: "There are so many very good running backs to choose from, but I'm sticking with my quarterback, Atlanta's Matt Ryan."
Howie Long: "This kid has the 'it' factor. Whatever it takes to be great, Matt has it. Good kid, too."
TB: "Howie's right. It's a combination of so many things, but he has what it takes to be something special. Remember, early in the season I told everyone that the Falcons started off making their passing game very simple for him. Primarily, they worked their patterns deep instead of going short and then deep. And that's why in that first game he hit the post route. Obviously, he's an excellent deep-ball thrower. When you do throw deep, you don't turn over the ball so much because every young quarterback can see the safeties.
"Nobody knew how he would respond to the blitzes, the inside pass rush and also dealing with all the money he's making. But winning in Green Bay was huge. That had to build his confidence. Everybody knows I don't care about your arm. I care about your presence. Your poise and your work ethic."
Michael Strahan: "You look around at some quarterbacks, and they have no pocket presence at all. Some drop too deep and also flail around with the ball. Ryan steps up in the pocket. He told someone how he thought it was a lot easier in the pros than he expected. I said he would find out it would be tougher, but he's proven me wrong. One of their coaches told me that this kid just has it. When he talks, everybody listens. They believe he can do it."
TB: "When he hit that 26-yard corner route to set up the winning field goal against the Bears, that said so much. The coaches put the game in his hand. Veteran players there had to be thinking, 'We have us something special here. This kid can play. We have some hope here.' "
HL: "I think Matt always believed he was going to be successful."
Czar: "Well, nobody is even talking about Michael Vick anymore in that town."
MS: "As a pass rusher, I am impressed with how well Ryan has adjusted. Sometimes you fear athletic guys, but a guy like Ryan is probably frustrating some rushers because he isn't doing dumb things back there like dropping deeper or flailing around with the ball."
HL: "His eyes never go down (looking at the rush). He has a great presence in the pocket."
Czar: "The Raiders cut one of their big offseason acquisitions, former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. What is going on with Al?"
HL: "Al Davis went hog wild on spending and by releasing Hall he was admitting the mistake, but also saying, 'I am not going to put $16 million more into the mistake, so why not let him go now?' Hall had a great chance of making that money next year."
Jimmy Johnson: "It was an injury guarantee and Al probably thought that Hall was liable to get dinged up next year."
HL: "They had to let him go and he's healthy now. They have a lot of money committed into next season and the year after that, and the Raiders don't have 10 limited partners who can pay all of this off. The way they spent this year ($145 million) they are against the wall next year and the season after."
Czar: "They haven't cut Javon Walker yet. They spent a lot of money on him, too."
HL: "They are still looking at everything because they do have to sign the other cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. He's so good, few quarterbacks even test him."
TB: "Well, Al has already lost. He gave this guy $9 million and the trade with Atlanta cost him second-round and fifth-round draft choices. That's money and two potential young players gone."
HL: "Everything was funneled Hall's way and he didn't have enough buckets to bail the boat."
MS: "Very few guys are really the shut-down corner everybody talks about ... you know, the next Deion. He got abused by Denver rookie Eddie Royal in the first game. Yes, Royal is good, but Hall is a veteran and veterans are supposed to make a damn play once in a while."
Czar: "We have a huge game in Minnesota with the Packers coming to town. Can Aaron Rodgers win in Minnesota?"
JJ: "The Packers played pretty well last Sunday in Tennessee and just came up short. They are as solid as any team in the division. They can win there even though they have struggled in the Metrodome in the past. The Vikings play the run well, but they still struggle with their pass defense. Plus, I can't get too excited about a team that has someone like Gus Frerotte at quarterback."
HL: "Green Bay has to be disappointed about losing to Tennessee. They played really well down there. The aftermath of that game is the Aaron Rodgers' interception in the end zone. They simply didn't take advantage of all their trips in the red zone."
MS: "I think the Packers will win because they are the better football team. Adrian Peterson will still get some yards, but the Packers are good enough to stop the run. They also seem to be able to get enough pressure on the quarterback even though Aaron Kampman is their only great rusher. I agree that Minnesota doesn't have the quarterback that scares you."
Curt Menefee: "This division is Green Bay's for the taking."
HL: "Some fans want to compare Frerotte with Kerry Collins and that's not fair. Collins can take a team places. He played very well in at the end of the game, and in overtime, too. He can make plays and also not get his team beat. Green Bay's defense actually played well against the Titans, they simply got worn down in overtime because the Titans also had the ball at the end of the fourth quarter. They put two long drives together back to back."
MS: "Both teams were really tired at the end of the game. Green Bay was shot."
TB: "That was a game the Packers should have won."
Czar: "We talked about Ryan already, but what about the turnaround of the Falcons? Nobody could have thought they would have won five games this season."
HL: "It is stunning what Mike Smith has done with this football team. This was a team that was as dysfunctional as any team in the league. They had a coach quit on them and they had the Michael Vick saga."
CM: "What's interesting about the Falcons playing the Saints is that it was a few years ago that Sean Payton showed up in New Orleans and turned that whole organization around, the season after Katrina, and winning with a quarterback that nobody seemed to want."
Czar: "Yes, two coaches who have made a huge difference with their teams."
HL: "People in football knew who Payton was, but Mike Smith sort of came out of nowhere."
Czar: "Speaking of quarterbacks, how do you think Matt Cassel has been doing in New England?"
MS: "If one of his receivers catches an easy ball there at the end, Cassel beats the Colts last Sunday. I watch a lot of quarterbacks on TV and I feel pretty confident when he drops back. I don't think the heart is in his throat. I think he's doing everything that Bill Belichick is asking of him."
JJ: "But I can't help it, when he drops back I am still thinking about Tom Brady. Just the idea of him in the back of your mind simply keeps you from liking Cassel. That may not be fair, but that's how it is."
Czar: "Well, does anybody have some Super Bowl teams picked?"
Terry Bradshaw: "I'm sticking with the Giants being there. They aren't fazed one bit with being the defending champs and I think the Steelers, with Ben or with Byron Leftwich, will get there. They showed Monday night they have too much defense for anybody in the AFC."
Czar: "How about a rookie of the year pick?"
TB: "There are so many very good running backs to choose from, but I'm sticking with my quarterback, Atlanta's Matt Ryan."
Howie Long: "This kid has the 'it' factor. Whatever it takes to be great, Matt has it. Good kid, too."
TB: "Howie's right. It's a combination of so many things, but he has what it takes to be something special. Remember, early in the season I told everyone that the Falcons started off making their passing game very simple for him. Primarily, they worked their patterns deep instead of going short and then deep. And that's why in that first game he hit the post route. Obviously, he's an excellent deep-ball thrower. When you do throw deep, you don't turn over the ball so much because every young quarterback can see the safeties.
"Nobody knew how he would respond to the blitzes, the inside pass rush and also dealing with all the money he's making. But winning in Green Bay was huge. That had to build his confidence. Everybody knows I don't care about your arm. I care about your presence. Your poise and your work ethic."
Michael Strahan: "You look around at some quarterbacks, and they have no pocket presence at all. Some drop too deep and also flail around with the ball. Ryan steps up in the pocket. He told someone how he thought it was a lot easier in the pros than he expected. I said he would find out it would be tougher, but he's proven me wrong. One of their coaches told me that this kid just has it. When he talks, everybody listens. They believe he can do it."
TB: "When he hit that 26-yard corner route to set up the winning field goal against the Bears, that said so much. The coaches put the game in his hand. Veteran players there had to be thinking, 'We have us something special here. This kid can play. We have some hope here.' "
HL: "I think Matt always believed he was going to be successful."
Czar: "Well, nobody is even talking about Michael Vick anymore in that town."
MS: "As a pass rusher, I am impressed with how well Ryan has adjusted. Sometimes you fear athletic guys, but a guy like Ryan is probably frustrating some rushers because he isn't doing dumb things back there like dropping deeper or flailing around with the ball."
HL: "His eyes never go down (looking at the rush). He has a great presence in the pocket."
Czar: "The Raiders cut one of their big offseason acquisitions, former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. What is going on with Al?"
HL: "Al Davis went hog wild on spending and by releasing Hall he was admitting the mistake, but also saying, 'I am not going to put $16 million more into the mistake, so why not let him go now?' Hall had a great chance of making that money next year."
Jimmy Johnson: "It was an injury guarantee and Al probably thought that Hall was liable to get dinged up next year."
HL: "They had to let him go and he's healthy now. They have a lot of money committed into next season and the year after that, and the Raiders don't have 10 limited partners who can pay all of this off. The way they spent this year ($145 million) they are against the wall next year and the season after."
Czar: "They haven't cut Javon Walker yet. They spent a lot of money on him, too."
HL: "They are still looking at everything because they do have to sign the other cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. He's so good, few quarterbacks even test him."
TB: "Well, Al has already lost. He gave this guy $9 million and the trade with Atlanta cost him second-round and fifth-round draft choices. That's money and two potential young players gone."
HL: "Everything was funneled Hall's way and he didn't have enough buckets to bail the boat."
MS: "Very few guys are really the shut-down corner everybody talks about ... you know, the next Deion. He got abused by Denver rookie Eddie Royal in the first game. Yes, Royal is good, but Hall is a veteran and veterans are supposed to make a damn play once in a while."
Czar: "We have a huge game in Minnesota with the Packers coming to town. Can Aaron Rodgers win in Minnesota?"
JJ: "The Packers played pretty well last Sunday in Tennessee and just came up short. They are as solid as any team in the division. They can win there even though they have struggled in the Metrodome in the past. The Vikings play the run well, but they still struggle with their pass defense. Plus, I can't get too excited about a team that has someone like Gus Frerotte at quarterback."
HL: "Green Bay has to be disappointed about losing to Tennessee. They played really well down there. The aftermath of that game is the Aaron Rodgers' interception in the end zone. They simply didn't take advantage of all their trips in the red zone."
MS: "I think the Packers will win because they are the better football team. Adrian Peterson will still get some yards, but the Packers are good enough to stop the run. They also seem to be able to get enough pressure on the quarterback even though Aaron Kampman is their only great rusher. I agree that Minnesota doesn't have the quarterback that scares you."
Curt Menefee: "This division is Green Bay's for the taking."
HL: "Some fans want to compare Frerotte with Kerry Collins and that's not fair. Collins can take a team places. He played very well in at the end of the game, and in overtime, too. He can make plays and also not get his team beat. Green Bay's defense actually played well against the Titans, they simply got worn down in overtime because the Titans also had the ball at the end of the fourth quarter. They put two long drives together back to back."
MS: "Both teams were really tired at the end of the game. Green Bay was shot."
TB: "That was a game the Packers should have won."
Czar: "We talked about Ryan already, but what about the turnaround of the Falcons? Nobody could have thought they would have won five games this season."
HL: "It is stunning what Mike Smith has done with this football team. This was a team that was as dysfunctional as any team in the league. They had a coach quit on them and they had the Michael Vick saga."
CM: "What's interesting about the Falcons playing the Saints is that it was a few years ago that Sean Payton showed up in New Orleans and turned that whole organization around, the season after Katrina, and winning with a quarterback that nobody seemed to want."
Czar: "Yes, two coaches who have made a huge difference with their teams."
HL: "People in football knew who Payton was, but Mike Smith sort of came out of nowhere."
Czar: "Speaking of quarterbacks, how do you think Matt Cassel has been doing in New England?"
MS: "If one of his receivers catches an easy ball there at the end, Cassel beats the Colts last Sunday. I watch a lot of quarterbacks on TV and I feel pretty confident when he drops back. I don't think the heart is in his throat. I think he's doing everything that Bill Belichick is asking of him."
JJ: "But I can't help it, when he drops back I am still thinking about Tom Brady. Just the idea of him in the back of your mind simply keeps you from liking Cassel. That may not be fair, but that's how it is."
